Escape from Alcatraz is the name for two different

triathlon A triathlon is an endurance multisport race consisting of swimming, cycling, and running over various distances. Triathletes compete for fastest overall completion time, racing each segment sequentially with the time transitioning between the ...

s held in the

San Francisco Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area G ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

. The Escape from Alcatraz originated in 1981 as a private club event, beginning in San Francisco and ending in

Marin County Marin County is a county located in the northwestern part of the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 262,231. Its county seat and largest city is San Rafael. Marin County is acros ...

. The race split in 1983 with a separate commercial event open to the public, which is now an

aquathlon An aquathlon is a multisport race consisting of continuous run and swim elements. Competitors complete a swim immediately followed by a run over various distances. Athletes compete for fastest overall course completion, including the time trans ...

(having dropped the

biking Cycling, also, when on a two-wheeled bicycle, called bicycling or biking, is the use of cycles for transport, recreation, exercise or sport. People engaged in cycling are referred to as "cyclists", "bicyclists", or "bikers". Apart from two ...

section of a traditional triathlon) held on a shorter course entirely within San Francisco. However, a new public triathlon, also known by the name Escape from Alcatraz, is now run by

IMG img or IMG is an abbreviation for image. img or IMG may also refer to: * IMG (company), global sports and media business headquartered in New York City but with its main offices in Cleveland, originally known as the "International Management Group ...

Original Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon

The first Escape from Alcatraz was proposed by Joe Oakes after he participated in the 1979

Ironman Triathlon An Ironman Triathlon is one of a series of long-distance triathlon races organized by the World Triathlon Corporation (WTC), consisting of a swim, a bicycle ride and a marathon run completed in that order, a total of . It is widely considere ...

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

. The first Escape from Alcatraz race was held two years later in June 1981, with members of the Dolphin Club testing the course. The course started with a swim from

Alcatraz Island Alcatraz Island () is a small island in San Francisco Bay, offshore from San Francisco, California, United States. The island was developed in the mid-19th century with facilities for a lighthouse, a military fortification, and a military pri ...

in the middle of

San Francisco Bay San Francisco Bay is a large tidal estuary in the U.S. state of California, and gives its name to the San Francisco Bay Area. It is dominated by the big cities of San Francisco, San Jose, and Oakland. San Francisco Bay drains water f ...

to the city of

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17t ...

, a bike ride over the

Golden Gate Bridge The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate, the strait connecting San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean. The structure links the U.S. city of San Francisco, California—the northern tip of the San Francisco Pen ...

to Mill Valley in

, and an out-and-back running course over

Mount Tamalpais Mount Tamalpais (; ; Miwok: ''Támal Pájiṣ''), known locally as Mount Tam, is a peak in Marin County, California, United States, often considered symbolic of Marin County. Much of Mount Tamalpais is protected within public lands such as Mou ...

Stinson Beach Stinson Beach is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Marin County, California, on the west coast of the United States. Stinson Beach is located east-southeast of Bolinas, at an elevation of . The population of the St ...

and back. The running course followed the course of the Dipsea foot race, but by making it an out-and-back run rather than a one-way course, became known as a ''Double Dipsea''. The course has remained the same over the years and celebrated its 35th anniversary in 2015. Participants are limited to members of the Dolphin Club and The South End Club. The Dolphin Club is the host and sponsor of the event.http://dcefat.com

Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon (IMG)

The annual public Escape from Alcatraz triathlon, organized by

, now takes place in early June. The current course consists of a swim starting near Alcatraz Island, a run from the bay to the transition zone at Marina Green, an bike ride, and an run. The run portion includes a notorious section called the " sand ladder" at mile five, a climb from

Baker Beach Baker Beach is a public beach on the peninsula of San Francisco, California, U.S. The beach lies on the shore of the Pacific Ocean in the northwest of the city. It is roughly a long, beginning just south of Golden Gate Point (where the Golden ...

back up to the road that is a combination of sand and about 400 uneven log steps. The event had about 1700 participants in 2009. Entry is by Lottery process for most of the slots and the remainder is through qualification, which done through a good rank in the previous Escape from Alcatraz, or in four other triathlon races held during the preceding year. While entry is via lottery, they give preference to previous entrants. The one exception to the June timeframe was when the Americas Cup sailing event came to the Bay Area. The resulting shift to March resulted in colder than normal conditions (swim) and more challenging tides than the normal date. The impact of this was a 3 fold increase in swimmers 'rescued' from the water, many more than normal were pulled out and transported to shallow water. They were allowed to continue the event and receive medals for finishing. The Escape from Alcatraz triathlon was ranked as the number-one triathlon by ''Inside Triathlon Magazine'' for 2006.

Notes

External links

Event Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Escape From Alcatraz (Triathlon) Triathlon competitions Culture of San Francisco Alcatraz Island Recurring sporting events established in 1981 Sports competitions in San Francisco Triathlon competitions in the United States Sports competitions in California 1981 establishments in California