On the 1st of June I had the pleasure of jumping into San Francisco Bay along with 2,000 other triathletes. I was guiding my teammate, Brian Cowie, who is legally blind, through one of the most unique triathlons to be found anywhere.
Several times during the swim I thought about the real prisoners attempting escape – especially at the start, when I’d catch a glimpse of the foreboding prison off my right shoulder as I was breathing. As the story goes the Anglin brothers and Frank Lee Morris had a raft made of prison-issue raincoats, but I think that even without that the adrenalin of escaping the Rock might have been enough to fuel them the 2 miles to shore. These are, by far, the coolest thoughts I have ever had during a triathlon swim, and were reason enough to fall in love with this race! And it had only just begun…
Brian and I make a unique team in the world of triathlon; we are the only “double disabled” team currently competing in the sport. As such we garner more than our share of attention – often in the form of puzzled looks, but also in the form of media. I’ve included an interview and article from some Bay Area news and sports outlets below.
If you enjoy triathlon I encourage you to enter the lottery for Escape from Alcatraz – you won’t regret it! The race is truly one-of-a-kind, oozing with mystique, and held in one of the world’s most beautiful cities. It is challenging too – with the currents, choppy water, unmarked swim, hilly bike and sandy run it is no push-over!
Comcast Sports (NBC) Interview
