Swim Around the Rock (San Francisco swim invitation)

[Kevin Haugh]

On May 26th, 2007 I will attempt an elite open water swim across the frigid waters of San Francisco Bay out to Alcatraz Island, circle around Alcatraz and swim back to the shores of San Francisco. I will take on this challenge without a wetsuit.

I am not a professional athlete. However, I am a 5-time Alcatraz swim finisher (one-way swim) and an Ironman triathlete.

I'll post updates of my training from time to time. I swim in San Francisco bay every weekend. Please let me know if you're interested in joining me for a dip!

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Kev.

[JimW]

Kevin, that is truly an amazing feat. Please keep us posted on your training progress.

I don't even want to think about how cold that is going to be :eek:

[Kevin Haugh]

On the last day of winter, my alarm rang out at 4:45. At 5:45 I was standing outside the Dolphin swim club waiting for my friend and colleague Jon Nakamura. With daylight savings, it felt more like midnight than morning. If it weren't for the glow sticks we attached to our goggles, we would have lost each other on the beach. We joined two other swimmers and waded into the blackness of the bay at 6 sharp. I swim in the bay on a regular basis, but this was my first "night swim".

The shock of the cold water, not being able to distinguish the surface of the water verses the black sky and the urgency of trying to get in quickly and keep up with the other three swimmers put me into semi-panic mode. However, Jon swam at my side the entire time and that put me somewhat at ease. 10 minutes into the swim my limbs and face went numb and I started to get into my rhythm in the bay. 20 minutes into the swim we stopped at the mouth of Aquatic Park to check out the lights of a cruise ship. As we neared the end of our 1-mile, 30 minute swim I turned onto my back and was in awe of the star filled sky. Floating in the black waters of the bay it was almost like being in space.

Hot shower and sauna later, I felt human again!

Thanks for the swim invite Jon! It was an unforgettable experience for me.

Here is a picture, you can't see much but you get the idea!

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a271/khaugh/DSC05374.jpg (http://photobucket.com)

[Kevin Haugh]

With some difficulty I managed to last 90 minutes in the bay this morning. I was joined by a new swimmer I met on the beach on two weeks before. His name is Nobu and he is training for the swim leg of the Wildflower triathlon.

We tried to swim the break wall which is the wall to the right of aquatic park (you can see the wall is the picture above and on the map on the bottom of the page). We made it within about 20 yards of the end of the wall and got caught in a strong current. We struggled for about 10 minutes before floating back to the mouth of aquatic park. The swim time at this point was about 45 minutes.

As we approached the beach we witnessed no less than 50 wetsuit clad team in training folks wade into the water. It was nice to have the company, it made our training swim seem more 'normal'. Each of the team in training life guards jokingly commented on my lack of a wetsuit. I told them we were only in for a short swim.

At 60 minutes Nobu got out. Moments later I got really cold. I still had 25 minutes to go to reach my goal. I tried to sprint to warm up but it didn't help much. My mind was clear, but my body was giving in. I swam close to the beach to be safe. At 85 minutes, I basically swam in and sat out the remaining 5 minutes in the water to condition myself to the cold. My swim was a success, but I am left wondering if conditioning will delay the effects of the cold long enough to allow me to complete the Swim Around the Rock(2+ hours). On the bright side, one month ago 30 minutes was my maximum time in the bay without a wetsuit.

Thanks for a great swim Nobu!

I'm in the lead here with Nobu following close behind.

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[RIDE]

YIKES! I can't even begin to imagine doing something like that! If a pool is not close to being in the high 80's, I am reluctant to go in! LOL

You are one tough cookie Kevin!

RIDE

[Kevin Haugh]

I can take the cold, but could never keep up with you on the bike.

Thanks.

Kev.

[Kevin Haugh]

In 2004, I read "Swimming to Antarctica" written by Lynne Cox. It is a wonderfully crafted autobiography of the most accomplished open water swimmer in the world. Michael Phelps, Mark Spitz, Ian Thorpe, these great Olympic gold medalists would likely run and hide rather than attempt some of the swims Lynne has completed. Her list accomplishments and world record swims are too numerous to list here so I've added a link below if you are interested. The book is an absolute gem.

I was so moved by Lynne's writing that I signed up for the Alcatraz Invitational in the no-wetsuit division, mid-read and before ever swimming in the bay without a wetsuit. In fact, I tapped my inspiration from reading Swimming to Antarctica again and again as I dealt with the everyday challenges of being a new father and a professional (Lynne's book is about more than swimming).

When the boat left for Alcatraz on the morning of the 2004 swim, I had second thoughts of leaving shore without a wetsuit - it was a big commitment. I recalled Lynne's swim in Antarctica and how she must have felt in waters 20 degrees colder than San Francisco bay. During the swim, I recalled her description of the final push to shore when she crossed the English Channel at age 15. When I reached the shore, I imagined Lynne stepping onto Soviet soil after swimming the Bering Strait. For those who have read the book, I imagined receiving a handmade Soviet scarf rather than a finishers medal when I completed the swim.

After the swim, I dried off, met my family and started the slow warming process. The atmosphere on the beach was like a 4th of July picnic. The old interior of the South End Rowing Club was empty and quiet. My wife pulled me inside the look out room of the club and said, "There is someone inside I'd like you to meet." To my surprise, sitting alone at a table was Lynne Cox.

I was still shivering and unexpectedly shy, so my wife did the talking. "You are the reason he swam today, it was his first no-wetsuit swim. He loved your book," she said. Lynne spoke with us for a few minutes, signed an autograph and stood with us for this picture. It was the coolest!

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a271/khaugh/DSC04527.jpg (http://photobucket.com)

Here is a link to the Lynne Cox web page.
http://www.lynnecox.org/

Read "Swimming to Antarctica," you'll love it!
Here are a few reviews I found on the web:

"It would be a mistake to think that Cox's new autobiography is of interest only to swimmers. In fact, the book has more in common with heroic literature of the ancient world--like Beowulf and The Odyssey--than the typical athlete's success story. Her story is a powerful account of clinging hard to a bigger dream."

"Cox's story flows seamlessly to a Rocky-like crescendo as she shares details of her sheer will and daring. This is one spectacular book about one remarkable life. Read it and you will never look at swimming the same way again."

"An engagingly gripping read, an often engrossing tale of an extreme, otherworldly existence. It is this stunning force of will--this relentless dance along the thin line between brave and crazy--that makes Swimming so fascinating."

[JimW]

Now I'm starting to understand why you aren't wearing a wetsuit.

And here I thought it was because you were an animal lover, and rubber is not good for a shark's digestive system ;)

[conorb]

Kevin,

This is an amazing story. You're definitely in the "tough ironman" crowd.

Good luck.

conorb

[Bill Buchanan]

Kevin:

From what I hear from Don Reid, a member of the Dolphin Club, and a frequent swimmer at Aquatic Park, hypothermia is only one of the threats: a California sea lion chomped him in the leg last year. I think he shaved some time off his personal best getting to shore.

Good luck with a challenging sport! As for me, I'll tour the Bay in my ocean kayak, thank you.

Bill Buchanan

[HalfDomeRick]

Kevin,

How about an update on your aqua adventures!! How is King Neptune treating you?