A triumph in more ways than one

WATER OF LOVE: Sue Rogers from Paihia was among the throng taking part in the 3.3km I'm Going Long swim as the Christchurch Crown 2016 made a successful return to Corsair Bay. PICTURE/JULIA JOHNSON

After missing the Capital Classic at the end of January, Sue Rogers resumed her New Zealand Ocean Swim Series campaign by taking part in the Christchurch Crown on Saturday.

However, a bad fall three weeks ago nearly derailed the goal of the Paihia swimming enthusiast to swim six of the seven events of the 2015/16 series. The topple left her with a partial cast on her arm and cast serious doubts on her plans to adequately prepare for the event.

"Even once the cast was off, my concern was I'd not done enough training," she said. Her general fitness eventually saw her through and she managed to swim the 3.3.km I'm Going Long distance in a respectable time of 1 hour, 14 minutes, 34 seconds.

Sue noted the conditions were perfect for the event with overcast skies, and flat, warm water. After watching the children's and shorter swims take place, Sue and around 400 other entrants hit the beach at Corsair Bay.

"The course followed the coastline, dipping into the next bay then out deeper went parallel then back to the start/ finish. As always the bright buoys were well placed and the course easy to follow," she said. Times were generally very good because of the favourable conditions and tidal flow.

She noted participants arrived by parking in a large paddock and walking 15 minutes along a track which showed evidence of the earthquake damage caused recently to Corsair Bay, a delightful horseshoe-shaped inlet and one of a series of three bays below a natural amphitheatre which offered great viewing of the swimming spectacle as it unfolded.

It was a memorable campaign in more ways for Sue and her husband, as the pair completed a road trip from Cape Reinga to Bluff in a '76 Triumph car.

So far Sue has swum at the Bay of Islands Classic (from Russell to Paihia) in November, and the Harbour Crossing in December, but reluctantly missed the Capital Classic in Wellington on January 31 because of other commitments.

She's now preparing for the next swim in the series the inaugural Legend of the Lake at Blue Lake in Rotorua later this month.

"I've had a few swims in some very cold lakes in South Island, and will get in swims when I can as we make our way back north."

- Nathan Capp and Stefannie Gillespie were crowned as the male and female winners at Saturday's Christchurch Crown event, which saw 720 registered participants take the plunge across multiple swim distances. Capp and Gillespie won the 3.3km swim in 33.54 minutes and 37.24 minutes respectively.

Event spokesman Scott Rice noted fantastic conditions at Christchurch - flat calm water, cloud cover and no wind along with a bit of tidal assistance allowed some very fast swim times to be recorded.

It was a successful return to Corsair Bay for the popular South Island event after a four-year stint in Akaroa due to the 2011 earthquake.

It was the fourth leg of seven in this year's series which caters for swimmers of all skill sets and offered an opportunity for recreational swimmers to take the plunge with some top name swimming elites.

Other distances in Christchurch included, the 300m 'Give it A Go' distance, the 1km 'Step It Up' distance and for youngsters (under 14 years of age) the 200m 'OceanKids' event.

Remaining events in the 10th season of the New Zealand Ocean Swim Series include the Legend of the Lake in Rotorua on February 28, Sand to Surf in Mt Maunganui, and the King of the Bays in Auckland.