Duo takes swim challenge
CRANBERRY TWP — It wasn't a prison break, but a township father-daughter team conquered the challenge that prison escapees from Alcatraz Island in San Francisco could not, swimming from the island to the shores of Crissy Beach.
Ed Sauer and his teenage daughter, Holly, finished as a team in the annual Alcatraz Challenge on Memorial Day morning.
The 1.5 mile swim began near Alcatraz Island in the San Francisco Bay and finished at the East Beach of Crissy Field in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area's Presidio Park.
Holly, who just finished her freshman year at Seneca Valley and is a member of the school's swim team, and her father fared well in the challenge, finishing in the top 10 in their respective age brackets and in the top third of overall finishing times.
Holly, 15, finished in 42 minutes, fourth in her age group. The winning time of 40:30 was posted by Abigail Hurst, 14, of Chesterton, Ind.
Ed, 44, finished the swim with a time of 42:01, eighth in his age category. Winner Adam Fitzgerald, 43, of Oakland, Calif., posted the best age bracket time of 37:08.
Holly said, “I was very happy with my time and where I finished. I was very motivated to swim fast because of the water temperature and wildlife touching my feet.”
In addition to the challenge, that weekend featured the 75th anniversary celebration of the Golden Gate Bridge, which the Sauers were able to take in with a number of events and activities.
“It was a great time to be out there,” Ed Sauer said.
Long considered the pinnacle of swimming achievement, the Alcatraz swim attracts swimmers from all parts of the world.
Frigid water temperatures, strong ocean currents and the inability of inmates to make it off Alcatraz Island alive during its heyday as a federal penitentiary only heightens the curiosity of aquatic thrill seekers.
The field had 350 participants with swimmers from Alaska, Texas, Indiana, Massachusetts, Arizona, to name a few states, and from Canada and England.
Wetsuits and hoods were strongly recommended as water temperatures were a chilly 53 degrees that day.Every year, several swimmers are unable to withstand the strong currents and cold temperatures and are forced to quit, according to race organizers.On race day, organizers also warned of an extremely strong current carrying swimmers west. That meant that if the swimmer jumped into the water and did nothing but float, he would be swept 3 miles west to the Golden Gate Bridge within an hour.Ed Sauer said a longtime friend, Quinn Donovan, had invited him to come to Sonoma, Calif., to take part in a triathlon-type event. Sauer and Donovan went to North Hills High School together and have swum together since Ed was 8.Donovan participates in Ironman Triathlon events.Sauer, who participates in Western Pennsylvania triathlons, learned about the Alcatraz Challenge and was intrigued by it.He asked his daughter if she would be interested in swimming from Alcatraz Island. She was a little apprehensive at first.“When my father asked me to swim Alcatraz with him, my first reaction was no way,” Holly said. “Then, after a few weeks, I thought it would be great to go to California and decided why not swim it.“My parents kept telling me it would be something I will remember and be proud of for the rest of my life. It was a great experience for my dad and I.”And so off their event application went in January.Holly is a long distance freestyle swimmer at Seneca Valley and qualified this year for the WPIAL Championships in the 500-yardfreestyle event.Holly trained with her swimming team while her father did his workout at the pool of the YMCA. The two also took a swim clinic in Lake Arthur hosted by Joella Baker two weeks prior to the event, which Ed said was beneficial for them.“There's only so much we could prepare for waters we don't have around here,” said Ed. “But, it all turned out positive.”“It's San Franciso, it was foggy, misty, cold, mysterious and creepy with the heavy currents,” Ed said in describing the scene that has played out in so many Hollywood movies. “It was a little rough (swimming), but that's what made it a memorable experience.Holly said the toughest part of the swim was the waves.“The water was very choppy that morning and it took me a little while to get used to it. Let's just say I swallowed a little bit of water in the beginning,” she said.“What surprised me the most was having to jump 10 feet off the ferry into the cold water with lots of people jumping off at the same time.”Her father said, “It was a kind of fun thing to do. And, she (Holly) has something she can always talk about for the rest of our lives.”
