King and Queen of the River - Greg Born and Sarah Shuttlewood, with Geoff Robinson.
QNS Annual Open Water Swim
The annual North Mackay Sinkers Masters Open Water Swim (OWS) was held on Sunday 3 November 2019. With 41 registrations received, the day dawned with perfect conditions greeting swimmers across the three distances. This year swimmers included good numbers of locals, swimmers from Townsville, S.E. Qld and NSW. The swim also attracted four junior swimmers who swam with purpose and saw the continuation of the Prince & Princess section in the 5k swim for the second year running.
The event is the 3rd memorial swim for Jennie Mack, a veteran swimmer whose motto of “Swim for life” is a lasting legacy Masters embrace.
Results
5km Swim:
The Sinkers coach Greg Born claimed the “King” of the River title in a time of 1 hr 17 minutes ahead of second placed Nigel Dalton in 1 hr 28 minutes and Glyn Young following in 3rd at 1 hr 33 min.
The “Queen” of the river title was taken out by Sarah Shuttlewood in a time of 1 hr 31 minutes, with second placed Julie Boxsell finishing in 1 hr 38 minutes followed in third by Sharon Hill in a time of 2 hours. A Jennie Mack memorial trophy was presented to the King & Queen.
A quick swim in the junior section saw Connor Burrows claim the Prince title in 1 hr & 3 minutes with Eden Hedges claiming the Princess title in 1 hr 07 minutes.
2.5km Swim:
The first male master was John Barrett in a time of 44 minutes & 38 seconds followed by Dan Stampa in 47 Minutes & 38 seconds. Female master Karina Horton finished first in 46 minutes & 8 seconds, followed by Jenny Smith in 47 minutes & 46 seconds and third place was Katrina Bennett in 48 minutes 18 seconds. The sole junior, Gus Hedges finishing the course in a fast time of 36 minutes and 50 seconds.
Jennie Mack 1.25km Swim
This is an anything goes swim where swimmers can choose to use swim aids to boost confidence and is a perfect introductory open water swim for people new to the sport. The first and only male master was Ross Young in a time of 32 minutes & 39 seconds. The first female master was Jose Short in a time of 26 minutes & 2 seconds followed by Lisa Chapman in 28 minutes & 29 seconds with third place to Sue McBride with a swim of 30 minutes and 1 second. A single male junior competed with Carl McDonald finishing in 30 minutes.
Prizes to place getters included Jennie Mack Memorial swim towels, Rebel sports vouchers and swim caps.
The Sinkers Masters swim club would like to thank all swimmers across the distances and look forward to their continued support in the 2020 event.
The Sinkers also acknowledge the Mackay Rowing club for facilities support and the Canoe club for on water safety. A great effort by club members to provide the event including catering, course layout and timekeeping.
