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Sage advice for alcatraz?
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I'm an alcatraz newbie (went to school years ago in the Bay Area, and signed up to do the rock in its infancy, but had a bit too much to drink the night before...hey, I was in college) and was looking for any advice that veterans of that race could give to someone flying in from the other coast. As in, not "pass on the left" (current forum discussions have that more than handled), more along the lines of "don't use bodyglide 'cus sharks think it's chub," or "walk the sand ladder 'cus even if you're running it, you're walking it." Also never have done a race with a little jog btw the swim and bike. Any effect on nutrition?

thanks,
z
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Re: Sage advice for alcatraz? [zee] [ In reply to ]
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1. Buy a thermal cap, especially if you aren't used to cold open water.

a. Do a swim at Aquatic Park the day before the race.

2. Brush up on your bike handling skills. Pretty technical course with a lot of twists and turns and up/downhills.

3. You're right...you're walking the sand ladder even if you think you're running it.

4. Pick a line for the beach running (prior to the sand ladder). See where the the foot prints are from the pros and faster folk.

5. Be nice to the volunteers...especially those who are out on the run/bike course in the fog and cold.

6. Don't wait until the last minute to rack your bike and take the last bus.

7. Be organized! You'll have the transition area, but also a bag on the boat and one at the end of the swim. Maybe write down beforehand what you want where.

8. Don't show up at registration without your photo ID and your USAT card. And say hi. I'm the Registration Director, so I'll be around.

clm
Nashville, TN
https://twitter.com/ironclm | http://ironclm.typepad.com
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Re: Sage advice for alcatraz? [zee] [ In reply to ]
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Wow, Cathy really covered it, so here's all I could come up with:

Earplugs help prevent ice cream headache in the water.

Get on the bus early so you can get on the boat early and get a seat. There are porta-potties in the boat waiting area and bathrooms on the boat.

Bring two pairs of running shoes with you. You'll need one for the "little jog." But just in case you can't find your swim-to-bike bag at the swim finish (extremely unlikely), you'd better have a second pair waiting at your transition area. It wouldn't kill you to do the first run barefoot. It would, however, suck to do the main 8-mile run barefoot.

My swim-to-bike transition bag contains the following: running shoes and a gel. Don't put lots of crap in there (clothing, etc.) You don't need it. Some people decorate their bag to make it easier to find. There will be volunteers to help you.

Most of the volunteers are triathletes themselves and they do an awesome job. There are helicopters buzzing, there are TV cameras and zillions of spectators, the cops do a great job of controlling the course, and it's just tons of fun to be part of the action. Have a great time!
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Re: Sage advice for alcatraz? [Ariel] [ In reply to ]
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Cathy/Ariel thanks for the advice.

This will be my first year racing Alcatraz....but I've done the bike course many times in training. Personally, I'm leaving the tri bike at home and racing my road bike at this event. Anyone have an opinion about this?
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Re: Sage advice for alcatraz? [zee] [ In reply to ]
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No matter how well you think you're navigating, keep going a little farther left (east) than you think you need to be to hit the finish of the swim. Better to swim a little extra to correct for swimming too far left than to find yourself caught in the "Pineapple Express"--- the unbelievably powerful current that runs just off the shoreline and drags everything in its path straight toward the Golden Gate.

Good luck!

TriBaby
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Re: Sage advice for alcatraz? [zee] [ In reply to ]
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Oh yeah... I assumed you're referring to the Tri-California Escape From Alcatraz on June 8, not the Envirosports Escape From the Rock on June 22. That race is a little different.
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Re: Sage advice for alcatraz? [TriBaby] [ In reply to ]
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They will do a test swim the day before and will be on the boats to let you know what the best sighting is. Pay attention to this as the test swim is done by someone who has swim from Alcatraz over 100 times and he knows his stuff.

clm
Nashville, TN
https://twitter.com/ironclm | http://ironclm.typepad.com
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Re: Sage advice for alcatraz? [chrismaginn] [ In reply to ]
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As for the bike choice, I've done it on both a roadie and my P2K. You could go either way, but I really didn't find that I spent too much time in my aero bars. The only place that would make a difference is out on the Great Highway (assuming the crosswinds aren't too strong), and through GG Park. Otherwise, the road bike is probably at an advantage. BTW, my time for the ride was ~ the same on both.

Also, Cathy's right, PAY ATTENTION TO THE SWIM INSTRUCTIONS, last year a friend of mine (who's a strong swimmer) thought he knew better, and lost about 10 minutes fighting the currents back to the beach for the swim exit. He was exhausted by it, and suffered, timewise for the rest of the day. It cost him a podium spot for his age group...he had placed the year before.
Last edited by: Lloyd: May 8, 03 11:06
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Re: Sage advice for alcatraz? [zee] [ In reply to ]
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Ditto on the swim advice. Last year I heeded the advice of the pre-race meeting instructing us to head Ft. Mason but kept heading for Ft. Mason when I should have started to sight on the yacht club as the current started to push me. A sea-do marshall told me I was way off course and should start going directly to my right. I made a 90 degree right turn and swam along the coast line - DIRECTLY with the current and came out of the water with a 30min swim (I just did a 30:33 at Wildflower long course and that's a 1.2mi swim - Alcatraz is 1.5!). It felt like I was flying once I made the turn, but I was still shocked that I went that far off course and was able to come out with a pretty fast time. I hate to think what my time would have been if I had overshot the swim exit and had to fight that current. Do not take it lightly. As a general rule of thumb, try to keep the pack of swimmers on your right.

A road bike with shorty-bars is the way to go for the bike. On Baker beach, get to the packed sand as fast as possible. Also be careful not to get mud in your bike cleats in the transition area. If you have a long run to the bike out, it might be a good idea to either start the bike with the cleats already on the bike or put on your shoes near the bike out. Might save you a headache.
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Re: Sage advice for alcatraz? [zee] [ In reply to ]
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This will be my 3rd Alcatraz. Most of the important stuff is covered already. Here's my 2 cents:

1. Pre-race: Were a pull-over or sweatshirt. It's cold in the morning before getting on the Hornblower (the boat).

2. Swim: Can't emphasize enough not to "Cut the Corner". I did last year and ended up 300m down-range of the swim exit. A note here... if you do miss the swim exit, and start getting pulled further down the shoreline, don't try to swim back to the swim exit. You can't swim against that current. Just swim perpendicular to the beach and get ashore. It's a lot easier, and faster to run up the beach than to waste energy trying to swim against a current you can't beat.

3. Bike: I rode my road bike last year without aerobars. Didn't seem to miss them that much. STI's are an advantage for some while climbing. I'm bringing my Rocket R1 this year. I road it at St. Croix last week, and I'm just as slow on it as anything else... might as well be comfortable. At 6'2" (203 lbs) I'm not much of a climber. Probably never will be.

4. Run: Don't leave you legs on the bike course, the run is tough. I did this last year. Heck, I did it last week. I always pay dearly on the run on these hilly courses.

5. Have Fun. That's the whole point, isn't it?

Good Luck,

Joel
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Re: Sage advice for alcatraz? [zee] [ In reply to ]
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something I would add...make sure you have good, clear googles - use some anti-fog before the swim. The bay can fog up the best of googles.

Oh 0.02 more, IMHO don't bother with running shoes between the swim and bike. The surface is pretty clean and you likely won't be running very fast.
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