The notorious San Francisco swim – designed to scare prisoners from escaping – brings rumours of sharks
A PAIR of friends are ready to brave freezing water, strong currents and local wildlife to raise money for Cardiff’s “hospital of hope”.
Dr Elise Lang, a GP in north Cardiff, and her friend Laura Crandon are fundraising for Velindre Cancer Centre by taking on a swim from Alcatraz Island to mainland San Francisco.
The world-famous challenge is a two-mile swim, the same as 128 lengths of a 25-metre swimming pool.
The prison was notorious for its difficultly to escape. Out of 36 escape attempts, only three inmates are rumoured to have been successful.
“We’ve always been runners, at first we signed up for half marathons and marathons, then decided to use open-water swimming to almost break up all the running,” said Dr Lang.
Having since taken part in Ironman competitions, the pair have previously swum similar distances, but the Alcatraz swim brings its own distinct set of obstacles.
The temperature of San Francisco Bay will be several degrees colder than UK waters. Coupled with this, the swim differs from most open water swimming events, where participants enter the water from dry land.
“You don’t actually step onto the island at all, you just start from the boat that takes you out and pulls up alongside the island, so we’ll need to be very careful of cold-water shock when we jump in,” Dr Lang said.
“First of all, we need to be distance ready; we can get our hours in in the pool. Then we’ll be using Ponty Lido and Llanishen Reservoir to get used to the colder temperatures.
“In terms of wildlife, I’m choosing to ignore it. I’m hoping the spotters will help us out. People talk about sharks, but I think it’s really just seals,” she added.
Taking place in May, the event is the first time that a swim containing only charity swimmers is being held from the Island, with Velindre taking a team of 25 swimmers to raise vital funds for the centre.
Velindre is the leading provider of radiotherapy and other specialised anti-cancer treatments in Wales, and the money raised will help fund improvements to the experience and outcomes of patients.
The centre currently provides services to 1.5 million people across South Wales.
Dr Lang works in Velindre one day a week. She said: “Living in South Wales, it’s somewhere we’re unfortunately all likely to visit at some point, the money we’re raising will help to deliver optimum care.”
- If you would like to donate or find out more about Dr Lang and Ms Crandon’s fundraising, please find their page here.
