More than 600 swimmers competed in Bondi Beach’s Blue Water Challenge

LOCAL lifesaver Cormac Guthrie made placing birthday celebrations on hold all worthwhile by winning the blue-riband 2.1km Bondi Bluewater Challenge ocean swim.

Bondi Bluewater Challenge’s top-three swimmers (from left): Nico Love, Cormac Guthrie and Stuart Swinburn. Picture: Peter Cameron.

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LOCAL lifesaver and university student Cormac Guthrie made placing birthday celebrations on hold all worthwhile by winning the blue-riband 2.1km Bondi Bluewater Challenge ocean swim.

Guthrie, who turned 18 last Saturday, narrowly beat the next day — by a mere three seconds — prominent University of NSW stillwater swimmer Stuart Swinburn, with Coogee resident and Bronte Surf Life Saving Club member Nico Love third.

The start of one of the Bondi Bluewater Challenge ocean races. Picture: Peter Cameron

“Stuart led for most of the way and I just edged him out,” a jubilant Guthrie said.

Love, 14, showed what a great talent he is earlier finishing ahead of Guthrie in the men’s 1km swim.

Kate Dryden, from Thirroul, after winning the women’s 1km race, backed up to finish third in the 2.1km race, which was won by Jacqui Schafer, of Cremorne.

Ashley Finegan, who finished second and five seconds behind Schafer, is the daughter of former Australian rugby union forward Owen Finegan.

It was proven there is no substitute for youth with the top-three placegetters in all four ocean swims also duplicating placings in the 13-19 years age category.

The start of one of the Bondi Bluewater Challenge ocean races. Picture: Peter Cameron

A total of 622 swimmers entered the races, hosted by Bondi Surf Bathers Life Saving Club, and swum in a challenging and choppy surf with strong cross currents.

Event organiser Grant Baldock said they were pleased with the turnout after the original event was cancelled due to poor weather conditions in February.

“It was really, really pleasing,” he said.

“We’ve established a good platform for the future and we’ve shown that it can be more than just an ocean swim by successfully running the beach fun run and also the nippers challenge for the first time.”

Baldock said they would consider adding some sort of paddling race, either stand-up or ski, to next year’s event schedule.

Visit wentworthcourier.com.au for the full results.

FULL RESULTS

Men’s 2.1km fastest: Cormac Guthrie (Bondi/Matraville) 15min 11sec, Stuart Swinburn (University of NSW) 15:14, Nico Love (Bronte/Coogee) 15:26. 13-19 years: Same placings as fastest swimmers. Cormac Guthrie (Bondi/Matraville) 15min 11sec, Stuart Swinburn (NSW) 15:14, Nico Love (Bronte/Coogee 15:26. 20-24 years: Digby Harlow (Cremorne) 20:03), no second and third. 25-29 years: Sean Russo (Revesby) 17:39, Benedetto Bergamaschi (NSW) 19:48, Michael Green (North Bondi) 19:58. 30-34 years: Felix Jander (Bronte) 16:33, Francesco Griessel (Bondi) 17:00, David Perez (Surry Hills) 18:59. 35-39 years: Simon Nothling (Bondi) 15:50, Craig Mahoney (NSW) 16:53, Nick McCouat (Cremorne) 18:19. 40-44 years: Talbot Henry (North Bondi) 15:16, Andrew Graham (Stanmore) 15:34, Chad Schneider (Coogee) 17:11. 45-49 years: Tommy Woodriff (Bondi) 15:15, Simon Storry (North Bondi) 16:07, David Martin (NSW) 18:53. 50-54 years: Spot Anderson (North Bondi) 17:13, Peter Anderson (North Sydney) 19:44, Peter Hugh (NSW) 19:47. 55-59 years: Richard Dill-Macky (Hunters Hill) 16:57, David Cheatley (Darlinghurst) 18:09, Brian Standlick (NSW), 19:31. 60-64 years: Michael McGrath (NSW) 22:04, John Curtis (Manly) 22:52, Robert Harley (NSW) 23:01. 65-69 years: Stephen Burns (Waverley) 24:31, Allan Buckley (Rushcutters Bay) 25:12, Tom McBride (Ultimo) 27:59. 70-74 years: Chris Lowry (Lennox Head) 22:45, David Saffron (Darling Point) 28:43, no third. 75 years and over: Ron White (Ryde) 29:23, non second and third. Male assisted: Andrew Miller (Manly) 18:27, Daniel Fell (Bondi) 21:20, Steve Ryan (Rozelle) 21:55. Women’s fastest: Jacqui Schafer (Cremorne) 16:14, Ashley Finegan (Kensington) 16:19, Kate Dryden (Thirroul) 16:22. 13-19 years: Same placings as fastest swimmers. 20-24 years: Phoebe Miley-Dyer (Clovelly) 19:42, Kassia Ralston (NSW) 20:26, Meg McLellan (Annandale) 24:06. 25-29 years: Maddy Palfrey (NSW) 17:52, Kate Hilliard (Drummoyne) 17:56, Liza Christian (NSW) 22:11.30-34 years: Sarah Ingle (Mascot) 18:44, Amelia Kennedy (Manly) 20:24, Leisa Chisholm (NSW) 20:29. 35-39 years: Louise Willridge (Randwick) 19:54, Lucy Buchanan (Woollahra) 20:23, Emma Finnerty (NSW) 21:23. 40-44 years: Justine O’Connell (Camperdown) 20:35, Emma Starritt (Potts Point) 20:55, Joann Atherton (Randwick) 21:52. 45-49 years: Philippa Billings (Bondi Junction) 20:44, Susan King (Waverley) 21:42, Belinda Crane (McGraths Hill) 22:17. 50-54 years: Molly Schafer (Cremorne) 16:52, Elizabeth Sloane (Randwick) 19:23, Susan Woodland (Bondi) 22:35. 55-59 years: Jane McCallum (Ainslie, ACT) 16:54, Petra Playfair (Sydney) 22:57, Katherine Christian (Vaucluse) 23:36. 60-64 years: Jill Pettifer (Ainslie, ACT) 22:35, Carol Russell (Randwick) 25:57, no third.

Men’s 1km fastest: Nico Love (Bronte/Coogee) 12min 10sec, Cormac Guthrie (Bondi/Matraville) 12:20, Oliver Spanton (North Sydney) 12:28. 13-19 years: Same placings as fastest swimmers. 20-24 years: Jack Bigmore (Nicholls, ACT) 14:23, Nick Stephens (NSW) 17:42, Rob Christian (Vaucluse) 17:50. 25-29 years: David Schnabel (NSW) 14:23, Justin Biggs (NSW) 16:53, Richard Cohen (North Bondi) 17:00. 30-34 years: Jeremy Walker (Malvern, Vic) 15:28, Alex Timms (Bruce, ACT) 17:18, Niall O’Rourke (Coogee) 17:44. 35-39 years: Troy Stewart (Bronte) 12:42, Cristhian Molendowski (Woolooware) 14:57, Nick McCouat (Cremorne) 15:21. 40-44 years: Talbot Henry (North Bondi) 13:19, Chad Schneider (Coogee) 14:38, Oliver Mayo (NSW) 15:33. 45-49 years: Tommy Woodriff (Bondi) 13:47, Ben Watt (Bondi) 16:53, Steve Slack-Smith (Mudgee) 18:52. 50-54 years: Peter Anderson (North Sydney) 17:10, Chris Bennecke (Lane Cove) 19:47, Craig Swan (NSW) 20:38. 55-59 years: Richard Dill-Macky (Hunters Hill) 15:30, Martin Palfrey (Bronte) 18:10, Ian Hossack (Bondi) 18:28. 60-64 years: Jim Donaldson (Westleigh) 20:24, Gabi Somlai (East Lindfield) 25:08, Gregory McLeay (Sydney) 25:53. 65-69 years: Martin Greenberg (Bondi/Paddington) 22:41, Bruce Campbell (Avalon Beach) 24:00, no third. 75 years and over: Roy Swan (NSW) 28:57, no second and third. Women’s fastest: Kate Dryden (Thirroul) 13:03, Kate Hilliard (Drummoyne) 14:21, Jane McCallum (Ainslie, ACT) 15:19. 13-19 years: Kate Dryden (Thirroul) 13:03, Ivy McFadden (Melba, ACT) 17:02, Kirsty Beattie (Vaucluse) 17:35. 20-24 years: Isabella Dobozy (NSW) 17:21, Carly Rixon (Bruce, ACT) 20:59, Emily Miller (Paddington) 21:56. 25-29 years: Kate Hilliard (Drummoyne) 14:21, Rebecca Arber (North Wollongong) 17:16, Adeline Williams (Dee Why) 18:08. 30-34 years: Leisa Chisholm (NSW) 17:03, Nicola Quinion (Waverley) 18:37, Krystle Pascoe (NSW) 19:10. 35-39 years: Louise Willdridge (Randwick) 17:14, Belinda Bullivant (Bondi) 17:39, Nicola Ellis (NSW) 18:47. 40-44 years: Justine O’Connell (Camperdown) 18:00, Monica Graham (Stanmore) 23:52, Konstancie Vitverova (Glebe) 25:45. 45-49 years: Susan King (Waverley) 18:49, Jo Egan (NSW) 20:00, Kristin Harad (North Bondi) 22:39. 50-54 years: Elizabeth Sloane (Randwick) 16:52, Donna Moclair (Bondi) 18:33, Zoe Little (Queens Park) 19:17. 55-59 years: Jane McCallum (Ainslie, ACT) 15:19, Katherine Christian (Vaucluse) 19:25, Rozanne Green (North Bondi) 19:36. 60-64 years: Jill Pettifer (Ainslie, ACT) 18:12, Carol Russell (Randwick) 21:17.

Men’s 4km soft sand beach run: Geordie Bundock-Livingston (Bondi) 17min 50sec), Sean Bowes (Bondi) 18:03, Anthony Carroll (Bondi) 18:40. Women’s: Kirsty Beattie (Vaucluse) 22:07, Georgia McGrath (NSW) 22:45, Katie Remond (Terrigal) 23:06.