From all over the world, more than 1,500 athletes competed in the 2025 Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon on June 1, including 21 Oakland residents.
This triathlon features a swim, bike ride, and a run. Athletes swim 1.5 miles in the San Francisco Bay’s choppy waters, ride up and down hills on a 18-mile bike ride, and run eight miles of foggy views.
Only 2,000 athletes, called “escapees,” are able to participate. A drawing is held to select participants, with only 30-50 percent selected in any given year. They compete for their health, to raise funds for important causes, to inspire family and loved ones, or just to check it off the “bucket list.” Oakland Voices reached out to a few Oakland-based triathletes to learn about their experiences and what motivated them to attempt the Escape from Alcatraz.
‘Not for the faint of heart’
Childhood asthma stopped Juan Ignacio Meriles from participating in many sports. That changed when he moved to California. Growing up, he had experience swimming, so he joined the UC Berkeley triathlon team while in college.
“I think my main inspiration has been to prove to myself that I could overcome the asthma that held me back when I was a kid and I could be a strong athlete even with it.” Juan Ignacio Meriles, 29, Oakland
“It took a while for me to build up to being able to participate in an Olympic distance race, and I was intimidated and excited by the Escape from Alcatraz because of the intensity of the terrain and the difficulty of the swim,” Meriles told Oakland Voices.
The pandemic and the drawing kept him from competing before this year. After completing the 2023 Santa Cruz Half Ironman, he was ready for Alcatraz. “I think my main inspiration has been to prove to myself that I could overcome the asthma that held me back when I was a kid and I could be a strong athlete even with it,” he said.
Meriles called the race “grueling but enthralling” and “not for the faint of heart.”
The waves swayed the Alcatraz-bound boat so much that he got nauseous. Right before he jumped into the water, he witnessed one participant jump onto another swimmer. Lifeguards pulled them both from the water. The incident delayed his swim start and made him nervous.
Once in the water, despite being a strong swimmer, the waves knocked him around constantly. Swimmers seemed to come out of the waterworks and into his swimming path. “At one point, I even found myself swimming entirely in the wrong direction,” he said.
On the bicycle course, Meriles’ training in the hills of Oakland and Berkeley prepared him for the steep inclines of San Francisco. His biggest challenge was navigating other athletes. One person crashed right behind him on his first hill descent. “On my way back, I saw the victim of the crash still on the ground with a neck brace, which made me extra cautious for the remainder of the ride,” he said.
Meriles stood out during the run. He wore a black and white striped “prisoner’s outfit” that drew compliments from other runners. He found the run scenic. “There were enough features and variety in the course that I was constantly distracted by the view and not by the pain in my legs,” Meriles said. “The Bay Area is a truly beautiful place, and the run really gave us a good tour, even though it was a foggy day.”
“I almost forgot to take in the views”
This was Rachel Weber’s first triathlon. Signing up motivated her to include more cardio in her life. The Oakland resident of five years learned that experienced triathletes considered this race a “bucket list” triathlon due to its iconic views.
When she learned she’d been selected in the random drawing, the 31-year old barely started training.
“I hadn’t started training much by then, but decided to go for it as I knew I wouldn’t see San Francisco and the Bay Area in the same way ever again,” Weber told Oakland Voices. “Swimming from Alcatraz seemed like something I couldn’t pass up.”
Weber got up at 3 a.m. Sunday to prepare for the race. She later joined the other athletes on shuttle buses to Pier 3 and then boarded the San Francisco Belle to Alcatraz.
The boat circled the island before stopping next to the island. Athletes jumped from the boat into the Bay.
“I was pretty nervous on the boat as the waves started to move us around and I knew I was about to be swimming in that,” Weber said about the turbulent waves and wind in the Bay waters, “but as soon as I jumped from the boat, the adrenaline kicked in and it seemed like the swim was over very fast!
The 31-year-old finished the race in just over 3 hours and 45 minutes. She remembered to pause a few times while swimming to take in views of the City, Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge. While riding her bike, she also slowed down to view the bison in the Paddock at Golden Gate Park.
“A challenge of my own”
Inspired by his 7-year-old autistic son’s resilience, Mike Beebe sought his own challenge. Every day his son faces challenges regulating his emotions, which makes many days hard for his son and the family. “His resilience inspired me to take on a challenge of my own,” Beebe said.
This was his first triathlon in over 15 years and his first in open water. “I’m not a natural swimmer and hate cold water, but I wanted to honor (my son’s) courage by doing something hard myself—because millions of others like him face their fears every day.”
The 42-year-old completed the triathlon in just under 3 hours.
“Ultimately, I raised over $3,000 for autism research, honored my son, and proved to my kids what’s possible when we work hard and challenge ourselves. I’d recommend it to anyone looking for a true challenge—it was hard, but worth it,” Beebe said.
Escaping from ‘The Rock’
The Bay’s scenic views and Alcatraz’ iconic history draws people to the race. The island has been a fort, military prison, and maximum security federal penitentiary, according to the National Parks Service. Last month, President Donald Trump called for reopening Alcatraz as a prison.
The most famous escape attempt from “The Rock” occurred in June 1962. A non-fiction book about the escape followed in 1963. A 1979 adaption of the book starred Clint Eastwood, a former Oakland Tech student.
In 1969, Native Americans occupied Alcatraz island, reclaiming it as “Indian Land” by “Indians of All Tribes.” The occupation lasted 19 months.
In 2009, San Francisco Filmmaker Kevin Epps – currently editor-in-chief of the San Francisco Bay Views – released “Black Rock,” a documentary about lesser known African American prisoners of Alcatraz.
I’d recommend it to anyone looking for a true challenge—it was hard, but worth it. Mike Beebe, 42, Oakland
The first public Escape from Alcatraz triathlon took place in 1981. The current public event takes place each June, according to the official race website of IMG. The weekend also included the San Francisco T100 and a collegiate race. Participants included amateurs, seasoned athletes, as well as athletes with disabilities and mobility challenges.
Full Disclosure: This was my second Escape from Alcatraz. Last year, I dedicated my race to the late Cedric Troupe, founder of the East Oakland Swim Club, who inspired me to attempt the swim nearly 15 years ago. This year, I am raising funds for Believers Bail Out, which supports pre-trial release for Muslim detainees.
Be the first to comment