Escaping Alcatraz

Jonathan Strode, a 47-year-old former Umhlali resident, recently ‘escaped’ from the infamous Alcatraz prison, also known as ‘the Rock’, in California’s San Francisco Bay.

Legend has it that three inmates of the isolated prison successfully jumped the ‘Rock’ in 1962 by swimming across the freezing cold bay, but no one lived to tell the tale.

Competing in the 35th annual Escape from the Rock duathlon, Strode joined hundreds of insane entrants and braved the cold water and strong currents separating Alcatraz Island from the city of San Francisco to complete this iconic race in style.

“The race is timed to coincide with neutral currents and there are plenty of rescue crafts around if swimmers get into trouble,” said Strode, who added that because of the water temperature, wetsuits have to worn, which increases buoyancy but reduces mobility in the water.

With an average water temperature chilling at a frosty 14°C and powerful rip-currents surging between the island and the mainland, conditions are anything but easy.

Despite this, Strode completed the 2.4km swim across the freezing cold bay before running 11.2km through the city’s streets and over sand dunes on the way to the finish at the Golden Gate Bridge. The father of two did not simply finish the race, however, but came second out of 300 competitors, which earned him an incredible silver medal and a glistening time of 1:21:10.

Strode also received a gold medal for winning his age category of 45-50 years, while also outpacing the many youngsters competing.

The race took place on August 22, at the height of the Californian summer, and is one of the most popular sporting events in San Francisco.

Strode attended Umhlali Preparatory School and then Stanger High School before studying electronic engineering at the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s (UKZN) Durban campus. Now a US resident for 15 years, he lives in Los Altos, California, with his wife Gill and their children, Matthew and Grace.