9-year-old sets record swimming to Alcatraz and back

4-plus-mile swim took fourth-grader over two hours

SAN FRANCISCO — A 9-year-old Central California boy braved strong currents and cold water to swim from San Francisco to Alcatraz Island and back.

James Savage completed the over-four-mile swim in just over two hours. The fourth-grader set a record as the youngest swimmer to make the journey to the former prison, according to SFGate.

Savage said waves in the San Francisco Bay were hitting him in the face 30 minutes and made him want to give up.

Nicknamed “Super Duck” by his friends, Savage trained five hours a day for months. He practiced daily with his swim team and made a three-mile swim around Los Banos Creek Reservoir every other day with his coach at his side and parents trailing in kayaks.

By completing the swim, the 57-pounder from Los Banos breaks a record previously held by a 10-year-old boy, who set the record last year.