Escape from Alcatraz is one of the oldest triathlons in the country—it’s celebrating its forty-fifth anniversary this year—and involves jumping from the _San Francisco Belle_ near Alcatraz Island into the cold waters of San Francisco Bay for a 2.4 km swim, a 29 km hilly bike ride through the Presidio of San Francisco and Golden Gate Park, and a scenic 12.9 km run through national park land. It’s…

The swim start for this race seems chaotic—athletes jump from the _San Francisco Belle_ into San Francisco Bay en masse, and the entire ship is emptied in less than eight minutes. From what I’ve read, last year’s start was more rushed and disorganized than in previous years, which led to an athlete being paralyzed after someone landed directly on his head during the swim start. Needless to say,…