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Escape from Alcatraz

talltimtalltim
in Races & Places 🏁⛺

First time in this iconic race.  It's got to be on your bucket lists for tris, even if you're dedicated to long course.  The race is comparatively short, but has plenty of challenges. 

Short version:

The swim is fun, the bike is pretty fun and hilly, the run is very hilly and maybe not so fun.  A great race and one that you have to do at least once for the experience.  Finished in 3:05, which was slightly slower than my goal of 3:00, but had a good race overall and finished in the top 1/3 -- good for me.

Longer version:

Swim    1.5mi  27:04 

This is among the most unique aspects of the race.  Jump from a ferry in the middle of SF Bay and swim to shore.  Lots of admin time getting from T1 to the ferry and out on the ferry waiting around to start, so if you do this race make sure you bring along some nutrition for the boat, as you may be as long as 2+ hrs from leaving transition until you hit the water.

I'm a comparatively strong swimmer, so I swam the plumb line to the Palace of Fine Arts based on recommendations from other strong swimmers and vs race recommendations for AGers.  I essentially followed the 'pro line' and really enjoyed being out in the bay and being able to see the city and the Bay Bridge.  The current was strong and helped my pace a lot; also, swimming the low line paid off in about 400M less distance vs others. 

Pace was 1:02 per 100 (current!!) and HR was very low (112).  A very relaxed way to start the day.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/90506292

T1-ish

After the swim here, you have to run about 1/2 mi to the bikes.  There are many strategies for that, including taking off your wetsuit and putting on shoes/socks at one end and running it on concrete in bare feet and wetsuit on the other end.  I decided to do this old-school to save time and simplify logistics.  Bare feet with the wetsuit peeled down to my waist.  It was not too painful at the time, but my feet were torn up after the race and are sore today.  Depending on your goals if you do this race, be aware this is a place you can save time but that it comes at a cost ... plus it's gratuitous extra run distance overall on top of what is a hard run already - more on the run below.  Total time was about 7:30 for the run and bike logistics in T1.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/90506297

Bike  18 mi   1:04

This bike course is beautiful, but pretty hilly.  1500 ft of climbing over 18 mi, so there's a fair bit of up and down.  The course starts flat and then heads up into the Presidio, a former military base on the northern tip of SF.  The course winds up and over several rollers and then has a pair of nice fast descents.  Got to see the pro men coming back the other way at one point and they were flat out flying on the downhill.  No nutrition for me except a bottle of accelerade on the bike, and I wouldn't have had time to eat anything anyway, since I was constantly shifting, steering, standing up or shifting gears - or some combination.

I raced this on my tri bike with road wheels and aero helmet, and it was fine.  If you're a solid bike handler, the downhiils are no problem and you do get probably 4-5 miles total in the aero bars  -- 2 mi easch at the beginning and end of the loop, but I would not recommend a disc.  Frankly, if I do this race again, I will probably take my road bike if for no other reason than the need for simultaneous shifting, standing and climbing - hard on the tri rig.

Avg Power 279 W (90% FTP), but that doesn't really tell the story, since my power was all over the place with the climbs.  Some of these are just plain steep and hard to sit/spin on.  I have 39x26 on my tri bike, and would have liked a 27 or even 28 in a couple of spots.  Another reason to bring the road bike would be the compact gearing, if you have it.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/90506303

T2 was no big deal.  Drop bike, change shoes, go.  1:53 - about average considering the size and circuitous routings of the transition area

Run  8 mi  1:24

I was a bit disappointed on the run, but have been on and off with run consistency for about the last month b/c of a some lower leg issues.  Any case, I felt prepared for the distance and hoped to run about 1:20.  Next time for this race, and for others contemplating it, recommend running on trails and training on lots of hills.  Everyone knows about the infamous sand ladder on the run course (400+ railroad tie steps from beach to bluff) ... but unless you've done the course, you may not know about the hills, multiple sets of stairs and single-track that preced the sand stairs. 

The course is very scenic and the terrain is wild.  Even about 1/3 mi on soft sand, 1/3 or so on hard packed sand, about 1 mile of single track and 2 miles or so on a gravel path.  4 miles out, turn around and come back - at least you don't have to do the sand ladder 2x!  About 650 ft of climbing overall.

I had hoped to run 9s, which would be normally pretty easy for me - HM pace is 8:30, but lack of run frequency and some less than perfect execution on the bike may have made that unlikely in reality.  I was sub 9 for first 2 and last 1 mile, but slowed in the middle, particularly on the sand and the sand steps - which most everyone I was near was walking up.  According to my family, the pros also walked up as well.  Not enough speed benefit to justify the spiked HR, apparently.  Lots of elevated HR for me, but aside from my feet which started to hurt on the final descent into the finish (perhaps payback for that early 1/2 mi on concrete with bare feet), I felt pretty good most of the run, albeit slower than I had hoped.

EN sign for the finish, so we'll see how the pix turn out on that one image

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/90506312

In any case, pretty pleased overall with the event and highly recommend it to others as a component within a larger program and as a destination race.  Despite all the logistics, it is well run after all these years, and the tri-bike transport business makes it easy to ship your bike and gear.

 

 

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