Bondi Blue Water Challenge Full Results

A record number of competitors were set upon by a swarm of bluebottles which sent two people to hospital and caused another 80 to withdraw from the Bondi Blue Water Challenge yesterday.

Race underway: The field takes to the water at the start of one of the Bondi Bluewater Challenge events. Picture: Tim Read

A record number of competitors were set upon by a swarm of bluebottles which sent two people to hospital and caused another 80 to withdraw from the Bondi Blue Water Challenge yesterday.

The two worst affected were taken away by NSW Ambulance while volunteer lifesavers applied ice to soothe the stings of not only those who withdrew but dozens more who braved the conditions to finish the ocean swim.

Event organiser Grant Baldock said while unfortunate, the jellyfish did not take away from what was an otherwise fantastic event with 633 entrants.

The main event was shortened from 2.1km to 1.8km to compensate for the strong southerly which was also responsible for the arrival of the bluebottles.

“To our knowledge all those people stung are fine and the two individuals who were sent to hospital were released,” Mr Baldock said.

“It was a credit to the first aiders.

“The 1km swim was literally held 15 minutes before and not one person was stung. Sometimes when the wind picks up you can’t predict it. It was just one of those things.”

Fastest top-three swimmers in the women's 2.1km race (from left) Dori Miller, Elisha Smith and Victoria Trost. Picture: Tim Read

An Ambulance NSW spokesman confirmed a 15-year-old boy was taken to St Vincent’s Hospital at 10.45am suffering an allergic reaction to the bluebottle sting with an 18-year-old male soon following at 11.05am.

Ambulance officers later at 11.35am transported a 50-year-old man to the hospital from Bondi but it was not clear if he had been participating in the ocean swim.

This was the second year the event has included a nippers challenge and also a 4km soft sand run with the latter attracting an impressive 64 entrants.

Mr Baldock said it was great to see the locals dominating the field in the swim.

“Dori Miller and Matt Inness did so well,” Mr Baldock said.

“A lot of our club members (from Bondi Surf Bathers) got really heavily involved in both the swim and volunteering on the day.”

Fastest overall times were registered by Bondi’s Logan Kaye and Dori Miller in the men’s and women’s 1km races respectively with Miller also clocking the second fastest time in the women’s 2.1km race.

Bondi representatives also won five of the age category swims: Kaye (men’s 1km 13-19 years), Matthew Inness (men’s 2.1km 13-19 years), Alex Nothling (men’s 2.1km 30-34 years) and Miller (women’s 1km and 2.1km 45-49 years).

The ocean swim is one of Bondi Surf Bathers Life Saving Club’s major fundraising events.

Registration for the 2019 challenge will open later this year.

FULL RESULTS

MEN 2.1km (reduced to about 1.8km)

Fastest overall: John McClelland 22:52, Talbot Henry (North Bondi) 22:53, Keith McDonald 22:58.

13-19 years: Matthew Innes (Bondi) 24min 53 sec, Illya Vashinsky 25:45, Alex Durrant-Whyte 25:54.

20-24 years: No entries.

25-29 years: Joshua Young 27:11, Jordan Avramides 27:25, Callum Golrich 30:17.

30-34 years: Alex Nothling (Bondi) 23:29, Sam Harrington 28:50, Richard McKeon 30:07. 35-39 years: Paul Heydon 25:03, Nick Coster 28:48, Daniel Pittorino 30:01.

40-44 years: Talbot Henry (North Bondi) 22:53, Ben McGarry 25:11, Mark Crampton 26:07. 45-49 years: John McClelland 22:52, Keith McDonald 22:58, Simon Storry (North Bondi) 23:06.

50-54 years: Spot Anderson (North Bondi) 26:30, Mark O’Sullivan 26:35, Colin Reyburn 26: 38.

55-59 years: Peter McCrae 32:40, Paul Hoyne 36:36, Jerome Murphy 37:10.

60-64 years: Colin Mustoe 25:32, Richard Dill-Macky 25:55, Peter Anderson 30:26.

65-69 years: Alistair Cameron-Strange 28:16, Clive Dowdell 46:00, Murray Welstead 52:53. 70-74 years: David Saffron (Darling Point) 49:45, no second and third.

WOMEN 2.1km (reduced to about 1.8km)

Women’s fastest: Elisha Smith 22:51, Dori Miller (Bondi) 22:57, Victoria Trost 25:57.

13-19 years: Rebecca Selmon 26:00, no second and third.

20-24 years: Victoria Trost 25:57, Sarah McNevin 26:10, Georgia Daley 32:00.

25-29 years: Kate Hilliard 25:58, Elizabeth Keating 33:11, no third.

30-34 years: Rachael Dodd 28:19, Flavia Harrington 29:49, Margaret Hull 40:04.

35-39 years: Penny Mackenzie 27:20, Chloe Groom 42:06, Karen Shaw 42:22.

40-44 years: Elisha Smith 22:51, Nicola Logan 26:33, Rebecca Holmes 37:39.

45-49 years: Dori Miller (Bondi) 22:57, Louise Santos (Bondi) 26:01, Melissa Roser 38:28. 50-54 years: Fiona Mance 27:23, Elizabeth Sloane 29:03, Susan Hobby 32:10.

55-59 years: Kim Wilson 36:17,. 60-64 years: Jill Pettifer 39:40, Petra Playfair 43:13, Margaret Kirkby 45:23.

MEN 1km

Fastest overall: Logan Kaye (Bondi) 11:36, Jake Andrews 12:23, Illya Vashinsky 12:48. 13-19 years: Same placing as fastest overall.

20-24 years: Daniel Selmon 20:55, Andre Murrell 22:39, no third.

25-29 years: Blake Moclair 15:16, Nicholas Freeland 16:30, Sybrand Van Dyk 17:08.

30-34 years: Edward Smith 14:36, Charles Legget 15:26, Wouter Wynberg 16:08.

35-39 years: Paul Heydon 13:55, Hauke Horstmann 14:01, Matt Ward 15:27.

40-44 years: Talbot Henry (North Bondi) 13:37, Simon Watkins (Bondi) 14:01, Marc Howard 15:57.

45-49 years: Adam Nezval (Bondi) 14:07, John Clothier 14:08, Luke Palmerlee 18:10

50-54 years: Spot Anderson (North Bondi) 15:27, Colin Reyburn 15:44, Philip Morner 17:31. 55-59 years: Brian May 14:44, Niell Boustred 17:20, Greig Harvey 17:51.

60-64 years: Richard Dill-Macky 15:09, Paul Hardcastle 19:33, Ian Hossack 19:48.

65-69 years: Philip Stevens 19:02, David Buckley 19:22, Clive Dowdell 23:50.

70-74 years: No entries.

75 years and over: Roy Swan (Bondi) 27:22, no second and third.

WOMEN 1km

Women’s fastest: Dori Miller (Bondi) 13:10, Elisha Smith 13:14, Madeline “Maddi” Blomberg 13:30.

13-19 years: Daisy Message 13:57, Lucy Alder 16:00, Eloise Tilbury 18:21

20-24 years: Juliette van Ratingen 17:50, Clare Leighton 18:16, Ashleigh Pullar 19:16.

25-29 years: Madeline “Maddi” Blomberg 13:30, Nicolai Morris 16:34, Ellie Hargreaves 17:13.

30-34 years: Rachel Smylie 15:17, Jess Solberg 15:58, Kaitlin Moore 17:11.

35-39 years: Belinda Bullivant (Bondi) 15:39, Alison McKenna 16:17, Tamera Lang 16:50. 40-44 years: Elisha Smith 13:14, Brooke Bowman 19:04, Jaimie Schumacher 19:20.

45-49 years: Dori Miller (Bondi) 13:10, Rebecca Marks 17:33, Yael Joffe (South Africa) 21:50.

50-54 years: Fiona Mace 15:44, Elizabeth Sloane 16:58, Zoe Little 18:20.

55-59 years: Carolyn Martin 17:07, no second and third. Jilian Pateman

55:59, no third.

60-64 years: Jill Pettifer 18:06, Kate Helsham 22:47, Sue Nasser 25:51.

SOFT SAND BEACH RUN 4km

Men’s: Paddy O’Brien 19:56, Fernando Swett 20:14, Tim Marcot 20:32.

Women’s: Greta Truscott 20:05, Kirsty Beattie 20:34, Dearne Cooper 21:05.