THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, August 3, 1995 TAG: 9508030616
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY RICH RADFORD, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 85 lines
When Alcatraz was a federal prison from 1934 to 1963, escape attempts from the solid-rock island in San Francisco Bay were few, even though it held the most notorious criminals.
If the 1 1/2-mile swim through frigid waters didn't kill the fugitives, the sharks usually did.
But Kathleen Kinsey of Virginia Beach has survived that swim once and will try it again Saturday.
Kinsey's no jailbird. She just considers braving 55-degree water with an occasional shark fin a thrill. She's not alone. There will be 499 others in the water with her.
Three years ago, Kinsey competed in the Escape From Alcatraz Triathlon after an Army doctor friend egged her on. Now 30 and hoping to start a family in the near future, Kinsey figures this might be her last escape attempt.
``My husband Chris (a Navy lieutenant) was stationed in and around San Francisco for three straight years,'' Kinsey said. ``I wanted to race in the Golden Gate race where you swim under the Golden Gate Bridge. But that swim is so difficult that you have to be a member of the Dolphin Club for six months to qualify, which means six months of jumping into that water nearly every day. I wasn't quite ready for that.''
Kinsey saw the Alcatraz race as a better opportunity. She was prepared to drop out after the swim if her bad knees acted up. She had run a few shorter triathlons, but this was her first full-blown one.
A funny thing happened when she emerged from the bay: She was right behind the lead pack and felt better than she'd expected. She continued on and finished 12th among the women, seventh among the amateurs.
It is not, however, a race for the meek. Kinsey will wear a specially designed wet suit with a high collar, no arms, and the legs cut at the knees to offer maximum protection while lending some degree of mobility.
``When you jump into that water, it's so cold that the first thing you have to do is catch your breath,'' she said.
Plus, it will be a huge change from Virginia Beach's current climate. Kinsey went on a 6 a.m., two-mile training swim in the surf last week and was stung by jellyfish nearly a dozen times. When she emerged from the water, it was nearly 85 degrees. In San Francisco, morning temperatures now are usually in the 50s.
Warming up after the Alcatraz swim shouldn't be a problem - participants run 1 1/2 miles, bike 18 miles and finish with a 12-mile run.
``There's also 10,000 feet of vertical change during the cycling and running,'' Kinsey said. ``You start at sea level and finish at sea level and go up and down a lot in between.''
The 5-foot-9, 150-pound Kinsey, who grew up in upstate New York, was a competitive swimmer as a teen and a sprinter on her high school track team in Ballston Spa, N.Y. She played lacrosse at Hood College in Frederick, Md., although she'd never played the sport before.
``I'd never even seen a lacrosse stick,'' she said. ``But I was fast. So they put me at center and said `Run.' ''
She was hoping her husband would compete with her at Alcatraz. But a busy schedule - he's a diver for the Civil Engineer Corps - made it virtually impossible to train properly.
Factoring in travel, housing, cost for bike shipment and a $150 entry fee, the trip will cost approximately $1,000. Olsten Staffing Services, Kinsey's employer which specializes in temporary help, is footing part of the bill as a corporate sponsor.
Whether Kinsey is a lead dog or just part of the pack, she looks forward to the beauty that will surround her at the race's every turn.
``When you're swimming and you breathe to the right, there's the Golden Gate Bridge,'' Kinsey said. ``Breathe to the left and you see the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge.
``The bike and run takes you through the Presidio, an Army base that's on the base closure list, but is also a nationally protected park full of redwoods and eucalyptus trees that were brought over years ago from Australia. They are magnificent.''
As for the sharks . . .
``They're there,'' Kinsey said, ``and it keeps some people away from it. But it attracts me to it.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
PAUL AIKEN/Staff
Virginia Beach's Kathleen Kinsey works out for the Escape From
Alcatraz Triathlon on Saturday. She awaits 55-degree,
shark-populated waters in San Francisco.
by CNB