A Dip in the Bay—Off Alcatraz
Hundreds of swimmers battle chilly waters, shark fears and storms
By HILARY MACGREGOR
WSJ
SAN FRANCISCO—When I woke at 4:55 a.m. to thunder and lightning—a rarity here—I began to doubt my sanity.
In three hours 600 swimmers were scheduled to throw themselves into the treacherous waters of San Francisco Bay and swim 1¼ miles to shore from Alcatraz, the legendary prison from which it's said no one ever escaped alive.
The 14th Annual Alcatraz Invitational was sponsored Sept. 12 by the South End Rowing Club. Founded in 1873, the club has sent swimmers out into the Bay for their most famous event, the Golden Gate Swim, since the 1920s, before the Golden Gate Bridge was completed.
The Alcatraz race typically sells out months in advance. Organizers limit the number of entrants to 600. There have been no fatalities in the South End Rowing Club invitational, but swimmers have died attempting the crossing. At least one swimmer was run over by a fishing boat; another died of a heart attack.
(Continued here.)
By HILARY MACGREGOR
WSJ
SAN FRANCISCO—When I woke at 4:55 a.m. to thunder and lightning—a rarity here—I began to doubt my sanity.
In three hours 600 swimmers were scheduled to throw themselves into the treacherous waters of San Francisco Bay and swim 1¼ miles to shore from Alcatraz, the legendary prison from which it's said no one ever escaped alive.
The 14th Annual Alcatraz Invitational was sponsored Sept. 12 by the South End Rowing Club. Founded in 1873, the club has sent swimmers out into the Bay for their most famous event, the Golden Gate Swim, since the 1920s, before the Golden Gate Bridge was completed.
The Alcatraz race typically sells out months in advance. Organizers limit the number of entrants to 600. There have been no fatalities in the South End Rowing Club invitational, but swimmers have died attempting the crossing. At least one swimmer was run over by a fishing boat; another died of a heart attack.
(Continued here.)
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