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Lawyers Successfully 'Escape From Alcatraz'
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. June 22, 2001 — Whoknows better how to escape from Alcatraz than a bunchof lawyers? A team from FindLaw (http://www.findlaw.com) -- the Web's most popular legalnews and information site -- won the relay division of lastweek's ``Escape From Alcatraz'' Triathlon held in SanFrancisco.
Maybe the team of legal eagles had an unfair advantage.
After all, who else but lawyers would know how to swimthrough shark-infested waters?
Who else could navigate the winding streets of SanFrancisco as easily as they do the twists and turns ofthe legal system?
``Legal experts or no, we still had to swim the swim, runthe run and make it to the finish,'' said FindLaw teamcaptain Tom Antisdel. ``This may be the hardesttriathlon in the world, and we beat out 37 other teams. I'lltell you, it makes writing a legal brief look easy bycomparison!''
The Escape From Alcatraz Triathlon is considered one ofthe most grueling in the world because of the swiftcurrents around Alcatraz Island, and the twisty, hilly SanFrancisco terrain. More than 1,000 of the world's besttriathletes from 44 states and 11 countries competedthis year. The event consists of a 1.5 mile swim fromAlcatraz Island and an 18-mile bike race and 8-mile runthrough San Francisco.
Alcatraz Prison, called ``The Rock'' by inmates, wasconsidered America's most secure federal prison, holdingsuch notorious inmates as Al Capone and ``Machine Gun''Kelley. There is no record of any prisoner eversuccessfully escaping from Alcatraz, although to thisday, five prisoners continue to be listed as only ``missingand presumed drowned.''
The prison's reputation inspired movies such as ``The Birdman of Alcatraz'' and ``EscapeFrom Alcatraz'' starring Clint Eastwood.