| Published September 26th, 2012 | Family Tests Tolerance in Open Water Swims | Submitted by Michael Spiering | ![](../issue0615/images/0615-04401.jpg) | From left; Maddy, Spencer and Jack Photo provided
| Four members of a Lafayette family, two brothers, one sister and father participated in an annual family tradition, Escape from the Rock, an open water swim from Alcatraz Island to Aquatic Park.
On August 25th, the Spierings, Jack (sixth grade, Stanley Middle School), Spencer (eighth grade, Stanley Middle School), and Maddy (sophomore, Campolindo High School) all swam the 1.5 mile distance in the chilly waters of the Bay. Jack finished third in his age group with a time of 57 minutes, Spencer finished second in his age group with a time of 51 minutes and Maddy won her age group and placed fifth overall in the female division with a time of 45 minutes.
On September 9th, two weeks after their Alcatraz swim, Spencer and Maddy swam in the RCP Tiburon Open Water Mile from Angel Island, across the deep-water channel known as the Raccoon Strait, to Tiburon. Both siblings swam in the non-wetsuit division testing their ability to tolerate cold water. Maddy swam with friends from her local swim team, Orinda Aquatics, and finished with a time of 32 minutes. Spencer finished in 37 minutes.
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