After braving icy, choppy waters and a grueling 7-mile run during last year’s Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon, Owensboro native Dyan Damron is heading back to San Francisco to take on the infamous race once more — this time hoping to complete all three legs.
The race is set for June 1 and begins at Fisherman’s Wharf, where participants board a ferry toward the iconic island prison before leaping into the frigid waters of the San Francisco Bay.
“You jump off the ferry and swim a mile and a half,” Damron said. “The water will be between 55 and 65 degrees, and it’s choppy and foggy. It’s the worst open-water swim I’ve ever done — but that’s why I’m going back. I must be crazy.”
The swim is followed by an 18-mile bike ride and an 8-mile run through some of San Francisco’s most scenic — and punishing — terrain, including a stretch along Baker Beach and a steep 400-step climb up a sandy bluff known as the Sand Ladder.
Damron competed in the race last year but was forced to cut the bike portion due to a flat tire caused by a hole in her rental bike’s tire.
“I didn’t plan on doing a swim-run,” she said. “But the run course was the most beautiful I’ve ever been on, with views of the ocean and the bay. The sand ladder was a piece of cake after all the practice I did at the hospital and on the stepmill.”
That kind of determination is a trademark for Damron, who has been training for months by running and biking local hills, swimming regularly, and climbing stairs weekly at the hospital.
“I started doing triathlons in 2010 when the Healthpark offered a training class,” she said. “I had no idea what a triathlon was, but I signed up. I’ve been working out for over 30 years.”
Though she’s not aiming to win, her goal is simple: finish the race and enjoy the experience.
“I’m not going to place in the top three in my age group — and I’m fine with that,” she said. “I just want to finish and say I did it.”
Getting into the race isn’t easy. Entrants must be selected through a lottery and show proof of completing at least three endurance events. As far as Damron knows, she’s the only athlete from Owensboro to ever compete.
“There are 2,000 racers, and they come from all over the world,” she said. “Last year, I talked to a guy from England who was doing it for the fourth time.”
The event is known for its unforgiving conditions and historical significance. Inspired by the escape attempts from the infamous island prison, the triathlon pushes athletes to their limits in a course designed to simulate what fleeing Alcatraz might have felt like — only with wetsuits and safety boats. Damron said there were more than 160 boats circling the swimmers for safety last year.
“I truly believe no prisoner escaped from Alcatraz,” she said. “That swim is unbelievable.”
While she’s making her final preparations for the race, Damron said there’s one pre-race tradition she can’t wait for: crab legs at her favorite San Francisco restaurant.
