A MAN whose Christmas present was a treacherous swim from the island prison of Alcatraz has completed his challenge.

Mark Elliot, from Barnard Castle, was bought the unusual gift by his wife, Kathleen, and the couple travelled to San Francisco this month.

Mr Elliot, who owns Galgate Service Station, in Barnard Castle, is a keen athlete and regularly takes part in triathlons.

He said the one-and-a-half mile swim from the world’s most notorious prison was his biggest challenge, especially because he wanted to complete it without a wetsuit.

Many prisoners at Alcatraz, which is now a tourist attraction, tried and failed to break free by swimming to the mainland. The waters are home to strong currents and freezing temperatures as well as sea lions and sharks.

Mr Elliot, 53, said: “I really wanted to do it without a wetsuit because that is how the prisoners who tried to break free would have done it.

“The water was about 13 or 14 degrees, so the first five minutes of the swim were really difficult.”

Mr Elliot had a safety boat accompanying his swim, with his wife on board taking pictures.

He said: “I did not see any big fish, but there was one time that I thought I felt something, but the water is very murky and sometimes your mind just plays tricks on you.

“I was over the moon when I got back to shore, but when I got out I began to shiver a lot and it was only when I got back to the hotel and had a bath that I began to warm up.”

Mr Elliot said he hoped his next challenge would be to swim the Channel, but said he would need to build up his body fat before attempting it.