Stanwell Park Ocean Challenge
Sunday, March 22, 09 |
| The Big Swim of the South |
Event |
Stanwell Park Ocean Challenge, 2.3km |
Date, times |
Sunday, March 22, 2009, 10am
Registration Stanwell Park SLSC - 8am - 9.30am. Free bus will shuttle swimmers to start at Coalcliff. |
Organiser |
Helensburgh-Stanwell Park SLSC |
Major sponsor |
MBF Travel Insurance |
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Course |
Course runs out from Coalcliff to an initial turning booee about 200 metres offshore, then north along the Illawarra Escarpment to Stanwell Park beach. There's only one way to go in this swim: north, and head towards Stanwell Tops, the lookout from which hang-gliders hurl themselves into nothingness.
You must breathe to the left in order to appreciate this swim. If you breathe only right, you will get a glorious view of the Pacific Ocean horizon. If you can breathe left, you will have one of the most spectacular views in ocean swimming: the Illawarr Escarpment towering to infinity above you.
There is a very beautiful bottom out there, too: intermittent reefs with concomitant fish and other sea life. The other thing about breathing to your right is that you may well miss the finish and end up north, running into Jibbon Point off Cronulla, or something. |
Conditions |
Organisers like to think of this swim as "The Big Swim of the South". And so it is.
Both Coalcliff and Stanwell Park are very exposed to the Pacific Ocean and all that it offers. If seas are running, conditions can be difficult. If they are running from behind, ie from the sou'-east, it could be a very quick run up to Stanwell Park. But coming in through the break will be exhilarating.
If the water is clear -- three years back, as organiser Andrew Perrin remarked afterwards -- "you were in eight metres of water, but you could count every grain of sand on the bottom".
Coming back in at Stanwell Park can be reminiscent of the break at Whale Beach. It's a beach break with shifting banks and shifting sands. It can fiddle with your psyche. But then, you're here for a challenge, to find the edge of that last frontier.
This is one of the most spectacular swims you will ever do. It is one of those swims that you must do at some stage, preferably many times, in the course of your ocean swimming career.
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Years run, starters last time |
286 finishers last season.
Eighth outing for this swim. |
Prizes |
1st Male & Female $300
Towels with event logo for 1st, 2nd and 3rd all age groups.
Printed swim cap with event logo for all swimmers. |
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Categories |
- 14-19
- 20-29 yrs
- 30-39 yrs
- 40-49 yrs
- 50-59 yrs
- 60 + yrs
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All categories include Male and Female categories.
Minimum age 14 |
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Information |
Phone enquiries to Andrew Perrin ph 0414 949 194 or 02 4294 9177 or Wayne Johnston ph 0416 086 685 or 02 4294 3890 or email by clicking here. |
Eligibility |
Entrants are restricted to persons who have adequately trained for this event. Entry is at the discretion of the race
committee. Minimum age of 14 years to compete. |
Water safety |
Helensburgh-Stanwell Park SLSC |
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os.c says |
This is an "epic" swim, as the youngies would say. It runs between two potentially difficult beaches along one of the most spectacular coastlines in Australia, across a spectacular bottom with reefs, sea life and often very beautiful water.
A regional swim but within minutes of Sydney. |
Entry |
Entry fee: $25 online or by mail. $35 on race day.
Lower entry fees apply to those entries receive online or by mail. Entries after these deadlines are Late entries and attract a premium (see above). Moral: enter in advance.
Mail and personal entries (direct to Helensburgh Stanwell Park SLSC) close Thursday, March 19, 2009.
On-line entries close midnight, Friday, March 20, 2009.
The swim is subject to conditions on the day and if it can not go ahead, entries are non-refundable. Any decision to cancel will be made by 7 am on race day. Check oceanswims.com (Stop Press box on home page) on race day morning for cancellation bulletins.
Click here to enter online ...
Click here to download Stanwell Park entry form as pdf file for on-day entry.
Click here to download Stanwell Park info flyer for more event info.
Check progress entries received on-line. |
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