Pier to Pub 2010 Completed

12 Jan 2010

Author: Graeme Klass

On Saturday, I swam (along with 4,300 participants) the Lorne Pier to Pub 2010, a 1.2km open water swim that I have been training for the last few months. My goal was 22 minutes and my result: 20 min 49 secs. So I was pretty happy with my effort.

Lorne Beach with the Pier in the background

It was a beautiful 34 degree day and so too was the turquoise blue southern ocean. Upon registration I received a wireless tag to measure my time and place. I squeezed into my new steamer wetsuit (with help from my wife and a touch of Vaseline).

We stood aside the famous pier and were marshalled into the water. The course ran parallel to the beach and then a left turn to the shore towards the end. It was a short 2 minute swim to the starting buoy – just what was needed to calm the nerves and get the cobwebs out. I was so excited and nervous that I forgot to put my goggles on. Eye protection rectified, I soon hear the 15 second count down and subsequent gun – and we were off!

The first few hundred meters were tough. I had never swum in a wetsuit below, but was impressed with its added buoyancy and glide in the water. In my “wave” there were about 300 odd swimmers so there was the inevitable body clashes and kicks to the head. Once we were a few minutes in, things settled down and I got into my usual rhythmic stroke and tried to enjoy the experience. I also remembered my training drills to look up every twenty strokes or so to ensure that I was still on course. I don’t think I strayed too far away, it is hard to tell. One difficulty I had was knowing how far left I had to go, which made it had for me decide when to switch to a higher gear.

I finally made it to the penultimate buoy which required a left turn towards the shore. Not long to go. I start to increase my stroke and kick rate, but I began to fatigue – damn that lactic acid! At the final buoy I looked up and about hundred metres away I saw swimmers standing up and running onto the shore. Must be close now.

Finished! Time to suck in some O2. Me closest to the camera.

As my fingertips start to scrape the sand on the ocean floor, I realise that it’s probably time to stand up and sprint to the finishing line. The only problem is that the finish line is about 150m away. As I emerge from the ocean, my head is spinning, my mouth gaping trying to suck the precious oxygen in, water streaming down my face. Legs are jelly as I try to run from the water onto the shore. Try to imagine yourself in COD4: Modern Warfare when you are shot a few times and your vision goes blurry. That’s what it felt like and the finish line was my cover.

As I reached terra firma, I sprinted to the finish line, overtaking a couple of people. Thank goodness for my beep tests and sprint sessions – they definitely helped me there. At the finish line I am spent and there a few people lying around on the sand exhausted. A friendly official helps me unzip my wetsuit. It was then that I realised I had done it!

I then met up with my beautiful family and held my daughter, Ava, in that celebratory pose you see professional athletes do all the time with their kids.