Escape from Alcatraz adds an aquathlon
Swim/run event added to the 40th edition of Cali tri classic
The 40th edition of the Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon has added an aquathlon event for the first time in its history for 2020.
The swim/run Escape Aquathlon event will be held on Saturday 6 June at 7am, the day before the legendary Escape From Alcatraz Triathlon in San Francisco, California.
Similar to the triathlon’s genuinely-iconic start, the aquathlon will see athletes jump from the Hornblower’s San Francisco Spirit Yacht to begin their 750m swim (the triathlon is a 2.4km swim), before exiting the water at the St. Francis Yacht Club and running to transition at Little Marina Green. They’ll then be tasked with swapping their wetsuits for running shoes and facing a 5km run along the San Francisco Bay Trail, heading west towards Crissy Field and looping back at the Warming Hut to finish their Escape Aquathlon at Marina Green.
The race organisers, IMG, believe that the new swim/run short-course race is designed to provide “more athletes with an opportunity to experience the thrill of the famous Alcatraz Triathlon and add a new challenge for those looking to test themselves ahead of the triathlon.”
The triathlon was first hosted in 1981 as a private club event for Oakes’ Dolphin Club in San Francisco Bay and has since welcomed tri superstars Greg Welch, Paula Newby-Fraser, Simon Lessing, Leanda Cave and Javier Gómez to its sell out field of pro and age-group athletes. the triathlon involves a 2.4km swim, 29km bike to Golden Gate Park and a 12.8km run that includes the infamous Sand Ladder.
Aquathlon registration for age-groupers will open on Tuesday 18 February at 5pm UK time. The registration fee will start at $295 per person and is limited to 400 athletes. Head to www.escapealcatraztri.com/aquathlon for more.
Matt Baird
Editor of Cycling Plus magazine 
