Posted on 10/10/2005 1:44:19 PM PDT by Borges
SAN FRANCISCO - A nine-year-old boy has just finished a pretty tough morning swim — from Alcatraz to San Francisco.
Johnny Wilson, from Hillsborough, made the 1.4-mile swim in under two hours, braving choppy morning waters and rough winds in a portion of the San Francisco bay known to have sharks as well.
Wilson's classmates were waiting for him on shore, cheering as he made it all the way to Aquatic Park.
His effort raised about $30,000 for the Red Cross Katrina Hurricane Victims Fund.
Wilson said the toughest part of the swim was the beginning, because it was cold and windy.
What a great kid
That seems pretty dangerous, especially when there are known sharks there!
With the news coverage of the earthquake in Pakistan, the risk of shark attack is quite low.
Huh? Is Willie Brown still mayor?
Huh? Is Willie Brown still mayor?
That is a total myth. In fact, it was used to keep the inmates from trying to swim it.
One ballsy kid... and he did it dressed as a sea lion - the Great White's favorite snackfood.
I've Scuba dived many times with sharks, they're very docile unless you stab your dive buddy.......
1.4 miles is 7392 feet and two hours 7200 seconds.
About one foot a second - rough going.
I did that swim as part of an Alcatraz Tri a couple of years ago, and I can tell you, it was the toughest swim of my life...the water is cold, briney, and choppy as hell, especially if there are winds.
Actually, you get used to the cold, as your energy output plus your wetsuit balance out the freezing water. But the choppiness? Ugh, that sucked! I'd put out my hand to grab water, and either nothing would be there, or I'd hit the water way before normal.
Another hard part compared to normal distance swims is sighting your course. In a lake swim, they put bright colored buoys on the course that you can see and aim at. For Alcatraz, you have to find a distant building to aim at, but you also compensate your course for shifting currents in the bay.
I was so dizzy (from the waves tossing me around) when I reached the beach that the first picture I have is someone helping steady me as I stood up out of the water. Only later did I notice the camera, and came up with the "cheery triumphant triathlete" shot....
Oh, one other thing: You have to finish the swim in a fast time, as they must re-open the swim lanes back for commercial traffic. No slow-and-steady swimming allowed.
So you can see that a nine year old, who still is fairly short (read: not as hydrodynamic as an adult) to finish this race is an incredible accomplishment!
There are sharks, just not the man-eating kind, so yeah, it's a myth.
Still, a great accomplishment!
Great info, thanks.
(On the other hand, it's really cool to wear the race t-shirt, and the old one is wearing out....)
You had to swim it, Yossarian? I thought you took a dinghy and an oar...
Bwahahahahaha
"I've Scuba dived many times with sharks, they're very docile unless you stab your dive buddy......."
SEE, thats why I wont swim in the ocean....They may very well be docile..but considering IM lower on the food chain than they are, there is still the potential to be a snack.
MM
Good for him!!!
MM
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