Congratulations to all the escapees of the 2014 Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon. Once again we
had an outstanding day in San Francisco, special thanks to the entire city of San Francisco,
especially Police, Fire and Recreation and Parks departments.
I also sincerely thank each and every one of you athletes who successfully escaped, worked together and completed this bucket list triathlon as a group- you made this event probably the best 'Escape' I've seen since 1989. Check out this weekend's cable broadcast of The Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon on CBSSN,12 noon EST 9am PST. Hopefully you get some air time!
Click here for local listings
It was another strong professional field for 2014 as well as a great group of age group athletes.
We swam, biked, ran and had fun but so much more happened out there. We saw families bonding out there while racing together, we saw children proudly cheering on the parents, goals that were once set were met head on! We did it, we successfully tempted fate and yet we still escaped!
I believe that living a goal oriented, purposeful and meaningful life is important for all humans and I often wonder if I am making a positive impact on people's lives somehow. This event, the Escape
from Alcatraz Triathlon gives me the opportunity to see that I have made a positive impact on athlete's lives, for that I am humbled and thank you for letting me into your triathlon life.
Here are just a few post-race notes we were lucky enough to have received.
1. I'm sure you meet literally hundreds of people every year during the Escape, and
I don't expect you to remember them all, but I just wanted to drop you a quick note to say thank you so much. I was the guy sitting in front of you on the bus to Pier 3 with the deer-in-the-headlights look. I told you how nervous I was, and you gave me some wonderful words of encouragement that really helped calm me down. I can't tell you how much I appreciated it, then and now. Thanks for taking a little time to chill out a middle aged age grouper! So I did it (slowly), but I did it. I Escaped!!! One of the best experiences of my life, period. If I can do it every year until I die, I will. Thanks again so much, and I hope to see you next year! Gratefully, Sean F. Albuquerque, NM 2. I want to thank you for the best triathlon experience of my life this weekend. Doing the Escape from Alcatraz was the one race I've always wanted to do and the first one I saw on television 10 years ago. Without going through your Escape Academy there is no way I could have accomplished this. The day long Academy along with your guidance gave me the knowledge and preparation to earn the medal. I look forward to doing it next year and crushing my time! Thanks again, Phil S. Chicago IL 3. Just wanted to drop you a note and thank you for talking me out of dropping out of the race in early March. I was able to finish yesterday and it felt great. The Escape Academy really helped me focus my training efforts the last 12 weeks. I am still surprised at how much I improved over 12 weeks, particularly on the bike.Overall, I had a great experience and appreciate all your help in preparing for the race.
All the best, Tina P. Columbus OH 4. This is Scott, I met you at the Friday night meeting. I so enjoyed the triathlon yesterday, I can't explain how much! It was AWESOME! I want to do it again next year and I want to do your Academy. This was my third tri ever. I started training for triathlons September 2013, eight months ago. I want to get better. As soon as you have the dates for next year, please let me know. Thank you very much, Scott D. FL 5. Thank you so much for all of your help and guidance this weekend. I have to say, I hit the beach about 20 yards in front of the steps and was so excited :) I wouldn't have had absolutely any idea on how to swim that course had it not been for your time on Friday! Thanks again Eric, Sara Elizabeth Lowe Olympic swimmer Getting feedback like that makes it all worth it and keeps me hungry and going for Escape #27! To learn the best strategy to Escape and to guarantee yourself a spot on the boat in 2015, Escape Academies will be held in the near future, keep an eye on the Escape from Alcatraz website for dates and times. We hope you had a good time at this year's event, safe travels and training for the remainder of 2014, see you next year. All the best, Eric Gilsenan Coach- Escape Academy 26 x Finisher of the Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon (1989-2014) |