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Gary Furney, originally of Sulphur Springs, trains at Lake Sulphur Springs in anticipation of his Alcatraz swim. Staff photo by Taylor Nye -
Cold waters surround Alcatraz Island in San Francisco where Gary Furney will swim Saturday in an annual contest. File
Sulphur Springs native to brave chilly Alcatraz swim
The frigid cold temperatures of the San Francisco Bay. A consistent pull of the current. Sulphur Springs native son and current San Francisco resident Gary Furney, 67, will take the plunge on Saturday and take the swim from Alcatraz to the mainland that was originally designed to deter the toughest criminals.
In August, the waters will reach their year-round lowest temperatures, between 45 to 55 degrees Fahrenheit. The swim has to be timed exactly to pinpoint the moment the incoming and outgoing currents are at a standstill, otherwise the approximately 2-mile-per-hour pushing of the tides has the possibility to leave a swimmer stranded.
But to Furney, the one and a half mile swim is “not really a big deal.”
“The fast people go first, and the slow people like me go last,” he jokes. “I’m only there to finish, I’m not there to be No. 1.”
As part of the Alcatraz Invitational with the South End Rowing Club, Furney has done the notorious swim a dozen times or more, he says.
Furney discovered his love of swimming, surfing and all other beach sports when the Air Force brought him to San Francisco for the first time after he left high school and college at Baylor, he said.
Furney is a planner. He wears a wetsuit to combat cold temperatures during the swim. He eats a specifically balanced diet to help combat fatigue while in the water.
Recently while visiting home, Furney’s preparations have included a dip in Lake Sulphur Springs. His goal is always to swim to the dam and back, although he reminisces about quail hunting with his father on the land the lake now covers.
For Furney, no matter how much planning and training go into the swim, the best laid plans of mice and men can still go awry.
“Certain times, it’s taken me 45 minutes, and another time when I got a cramp in my leg, it took me an hour and a half,” he said. “Another time I was headed towards the aquatic park. …You’ve gotta aim for one side depending on the tide. Well, I thought I had it all planned out. The tide caught me and 30 other people, and we missed the whole thing. The boat had to come get us, and we had to climb into the boat.”
According to Furney, there are people a lot more exciting than him. Some participate in the Escape from Alcatraz triathlon, in which the swim is only the first part, followed by an 8-mile bike ride and an 18-mile run.
No matter your skill level, what’s most important, Furney says, is to just get moving. He says he goes to the gym every day, “even if it’s just to shower.”
“I’m kidding of course, but I do try to get something done at the gym every day,” he said. “I just have to do something every day… just for a little bit. I know if I don’t do it today, it will be harder to do tomorrow. …I know I can’t sit on my butt, and then hop up and swim Alcatraz. It ain’t going to happen!
“I just want to be able to get out there and enjoy myself,” Furney said.