Scott Garrison was shivering from head to toe; his hands were very cold to the touch and his teeth kept chattering long after the race was over, but his heart was filled with joy.
The 61-year-old Bakersfield, California native was in San Francisco for his annual Alcatraz crossing.
“Oh, this [Alcatraz Classic for the Fastest] is so much better than those mass swims with 700, 800 people. From the wife’s perspective, this is so nice,” said his spouse of his 42:43 swim of 2 miles in 55°F (12.7°C) water. “Someone is watching over [Scott] and they are not going to lose track of people.”
“I started swimming with the group, but then I ended up in a small group.”
Despite the cold and his relentless shivering, Garrison was reflective of his annual journey northwards to San Francisco Bay. “[I do Alcatraz] because it is so peaceful, spiritual.”
Southern California native, born 1962, is the creator of the WOWSA Awards, Oceans Seven, Openwaterpedia, Citrus Corps, World Open Water Swimming Association, Daily News of Open Water Swimming, Global Open Water Swimming Conference. He is Chief Executive Officer of KAATSU Global and KAATSU Research Institute. Inductee in the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame (Honor Swimmer, Class of 2001) and Ice Swimming Hall of Fame (Honor Contributor - Media, Class of 2019), recipient of the International Swimming Hall of Fame's Poseidon Award (2016), International Swimming Hall of Fame's Irving Davids-Captain Roger Wheeler Memorial Award (2010), USA Swimming's Glen S. Hummer Award (2007, 2010) and Harvard University's John B. Imrie Award (1984). Served on the FINA Technical Open Water Swimming Committee and as Technical Delegate with the 2011 Special Olympics World Summer Games, and 9-time USA Swimming coaching staff. Note: WOWSA only recommends products or services used or recommended by the community. WOWSA does not receive compensation for links or products mentioned on this site or in blog posts. If it does, it will be indicated clearly on that specific post. See WOWSA's privacy policy for more information.