I think lasts nights swim was a collective ‘WTF just happened?’ moment for most as more of you exited the water grimacing and looking exhausted than smiling! Those that did exit the water smiling have had their details shared with the mental health unit! We fear for those around you! It is interesting to note that the one that sets courses like that, doesn’t swim courses like that, and clearly enjoys (just a little too much to be healthy) the looks of broken and exhausted people crawling out of the water. There is a word used to explain that kind of behaviour but we have young people reading! Perhaps the club should seek out some navigation and orienteering training for the course designer.
What was shaping up as a cold, windy, miserable, and soul destroying day turned out pretty fab before race time. Perhaps that’s why Brendan decided to come up with a course that had more twists and turns than a Donald Trump press conference! Either that or he’s off his med’s again. None-the-less, 108 of you decided to accept Brendan’s idea of swim slalom and brave the sub-20 degree water. Lets hope you all made it back safe and sound. Oh lets not forget our mighty sponsors, Rylock, who make this all possible (whom I am sure will be starting up a search and rescue wing shortly) and our volunteers who obviously found it as challenging as the swimmers and whom have been offered counselling should they need it.
The start of the 1,200m (yeah right!) long course made sure that no swimmer was under any illusion about what the end of the course was going to be like. Putting a 100m dogleg to the finish, against the current, was like giving a middle finger to an approaching tsunami which, some of you were able to achieve. That said, Max Stanton proved rubber was the way and completed the course in a blistering time of 20:16.5. Nia Linyard appears unstoppable again, finishing in 20:18.7 in the rubber women stakes while for those with rubber allergies, Finbar Hansen and Katie Malthus (again again) took line honours in 20:44.1 and 29:29.0 respectively.
While slightly more navigable, the 400m short course did not escape the Brendan flying final leg kick but Ardan Warner and Chloe Styles showed that they were oblivious to strong tidal flows and almost broke the recording software by completing the course in a staggering 10:10.6 and 10:32.4 respectively. The free and breezy division it has become a 2 horse race with Rodney Hansen and Emma Ritchie now achieving an unassailable lead in times of 13:01.6 and 19:10.0 respectively.
If this swim didn’t wake you up to 2026 then nothing will! I wonder what weird and wonderful courses we have got coming up as we cross the halfway point in the series. The points table looks tighter than a swimmer’s speedos after Christmas! So slap on some deep heat and book up your physio spots for the next 9 weeks, and you too could see your name in lights….well maybe if we had the budget for it. Never mind that, I am sure Brendan will be back on his meds and next Thursday will be the flattest and calmest we have seen yet. See you all next Thursday and remember – there’s nothing tastier than rubbing your week’s swimming success in your mates’ faces, even if you’re still coughing up seaweed on Monday morning!
Full results
Series points
Photos Thanks Ruth Leckey