Bob shares this report from the 2017 Pier to Pier Swim which took place on 12th August. Ed
There was a dramatic finish to the Pier to Pier Swim Race on Saturday 12th August 2017.
After a swim of 1.8 km across the Sandown/Shanklin Bay with four swimmers turning at the last buoy and heading for the finish, which was a further 200 meters away and on-shore.
The winners
The overall winner was Alistair Bingham from Maidenhead Marlins in a time of 31.36 minutes. He was followed by David Stannard from Reading SC in 31.43 mins, third was Aiden Pierce of Seaclose SC in 31.48 mins and 4th Russall Cooper, unattached, in 31.49 mins.
The fastest lady was Katie Shepherd from Trinity SC in 37.09 mins.
The fastest Isle of Wight male was Aiden Pierce of Seaclose SC in 31.48 mins
The fastest Isle of Wight woman was Lindsey Shenton of IOW Marlins SC in 38.03 mins.
The fastest breaststroke swimmer was Paul Lewis of South London SC in 40.56 mins.
There were 12 other trophies won, with full results available on the IOW Marlins Masters SC Website.
The most senior finisher was Daphne Belt from South London SC in 53.15 mins.
Jo’s swim for church funds
After helping at last year’s event and never having swam competitively in the sea, Jo Cooper (aged 70) decided she wanted to do the swim and she successfully completed the course in 57.17 mins and in the process raised £360 in sponsorship for the Holy Cross Church, Binstead.
Another successful event
Bob Cooper, Chairman of the IOW Marlins and Safety Officer for the swim said,
“Yet again we were blessed with perfect weather and sea conditions and the 76 swimmers all had good swims.
“I thank all the kayakers and canoeists, the Lifeboats crews from Sandown and Ryde and the Shanklin Deep Sea Fishermen for their assistance in making sure there was the required safety cover, without which we could not hold the swim.
“All the monies form the entry fees that is left over after our expenses are donated to those charities that assist to make the event possible. It is proposed to hold the 66th Pier to Pier on Saturday 11th August 2018 starting at Noon.”
See the Isle of Wight Marlins’ Website for more detail.
