Keeping it Simple

Kings of the Coast - The finale of the Queensland Ocean Swim series

Ellie O'Gorman

Humans were not designed for water. Predominantly, they are land creatures.

On Sunday 29 May 2011, close to 300 humans lined up on the shores of Caloundra for Kings of the Coast - a 3.8km ironman distance swim and a 750m short course event. Pretty good feat for a bunch of people without gills, fins or flippers.

Ocean swimming is in a league of its own - there's no black line to follow, no wall to push off, and no chlorine to ensure the water is clear. Ocean swimming is such a pure sport - its beauty is in its simplicity and the majestic natural stadium that is the open water. Weekend Warrior Events have encapsulated this feeling of pure simplicity in the Queensland Ocean Swim Series. The finale of this series was Kings of the Coast, held at Kings Beach at Caloundra.

Caloundra is the perfect location for this event. It's a true blue Australian beach - only an hour north of Brisbane -- and boasts one of the most substantial and impressive headlands on the Sunshine Coast. The top of the cliffs provide dramatic views and provide the perfect lookout for surfers, swimmers, and fisherman to assess the conditions and determine where to enter the water, launch their board off the rocks, or drop a line. Naturally, John Guise and his team wanted to map an ocean swim course around this part of the coastline.

Caloundra lacks the pretentiousness of some other Queensland beaches and Weekend Warrior Events lack the pretentiousness of some other Queensland events - meaning that Kings of the Coast was focussed purely and simply on the task ahead.

The 3.8km event provided ocean swimmers with the perfect end to the open water swimming season. Competitors could choose from the individual 3.8km individual event, the two person team event (1.6km & 2.2km) or the Sunshine Coast Daily Short Course (750m). The 3.8km course starts at Moffat Beach, winds its way around the Moffat Beach cliffs, and finishes on the shores of Kings Beach. This is where the Kings of the Coast are crowned.

The temperature for the 9.30am start was around 19 degrees. Wetsuits were permitted, regardless of the water temperature. Powerade was on hand to provide hydration pre and post event. The water was a steely grey, reflective of the slight overcast and cloud cover, but this allowed for slightly warmer temperatures. However, a strong southerly wind meant that the organisers made a last minute decision to change the long course from the original 3.8km to a 2.2km course in the less exposed Kings Beach, as the competitors would be battling a strong headwind for the duration of the event. Even then, the swimmers were battling against a strong sweep and choppy waves.

Speaking after the event, a long course competitor, Christophe Manchon, told me that initially, he was disappointed with the reduction in length, but by the time he finished the 2.2km he was absolutely exhausted. "The race was", he said, "the toughest swim that he's done all year - what a way to end the ocean swimming season!"

The women's race was strong, with all top three competitors completing the 2.2km event in 38 minutes. Sarah Windsor emerged the winner (38 mins 23 seconds), followed by Jade Williamson (38 minutes 45 seconds), and Ashlea De'cent (38 minutes 58 seconds).

The men's race was also strong, with all top three competitors finishing within 45 seconds of each other. George O'Brian claimed first place in a time of 31 minutes 52 seconds, followed by Josh Richardson (32 minutes 27 seconds) and Duane Cannell (32 minutes 34 seconds).
The Sunshine Coast Daily 750m swim was won by Blake Timmins in the men's race and Caitlin Schluter in the women's race.

I love the speed at which these athletes run from the sand into the water. It's as if they can't wait to dive under the waves, battle the unpredictable nature of the surf, and start churning their way onto the course and towards the finish line.

Humans may not be designed for water, but the sight of a swarm of eager swimmers tackling the vast expanse of open water is a beautiful sight. So pure. So simple.