A 9-year-old San Francisco boy has accomplished what many former prisoners of Alcatraz couldn't achieve - he swam the 1.4 miles from the island to shore.
Johnny Wilson took the plunge Monday as part of a fund-raising effort for victims of Hurricane Katrina, and took 75 minutes to make the crossing, the San Francisco Chronicle said Tuesday.
Wearing a bathing cap and wetsuit to protect him from the 53-degree waters, the boy was accompanied by two other swimmers, two manned kayaks, and a Coast Guard helicopter hovered overhead.
Wilson, who has been swimming since he was three, stopped once to eat an energy bar, and then continued.
The boy and his friends who solicited pledges raised about $30,000 for the relief effort, the newspaper said.
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