Event organisers received accolades for such a smooth and enjoyable race – but most credit really belongs to God and Walter Burley Griffin.

God, for organising such a balmy day, whisper-still water, and a seemingly miraculous warming of the lake by 5 degrees in just 2 weeks, to a sublime 21 celcius...

... and Walter Burley Griffin, whose vision of a man-made lake formed the centrepiece of his winning entry in the competition to design the nation's capital city back in 1911.

In many ways, the lake itself – so much maligned in recent years – was the star of the show, reminding us how lucky we are to have such a sublime presence at the heart of our community.

Gabriel Mecs made the most of the ideal conditions, returning from 2 successive second placings in recent years to win the unwetsuited Open Male category in the splendid time of 2:17:20. Craig Kentwell took out the Men 50-59 division at his first attempt in 3:05:51.

Nicola Davidson was first home in the unwetsuited Open Female category in 2:43:55.

In the wetsuit division, a tremendous tussle between Oliver Bourne and Josh Berry saw these two rising stars swimming virtually stroke for stroke along the entire lake, until they stood up to run from the water to the finish line – Oliver proving superior in the sprint, to set a new course record in 2:03:20. Oliver set a new record for the first leg, and he and Josh now share the record for the 4th leg. Meanwhile, Bonnie Frankcom took the women's category in 2:30:25, including setting a new fastest time for the 4th leg en route.

Outstanding swim of the day came from 70+ competitor, Geoff Llewellyn, who took more than half an hour off his previous best time for the 9 km swim, establishing a new age-group record of 2:50:26. Geoff humbly gave credit to his new wetsuit, but we all know it's what's inside the wetsuit that counts – and in Geoff's case, that's all heart!

The "Sunday Swimmers" – Kim Crawley, Tara Booth and Melissa Carters – took out the all-women teams category in 2:53:00, while the all-male prize was claimed by the "Performance Tri" team of Corey Bacon, Shane Farrant, Adam Rudgley and Andrew Irons. Michael Gaffney and Graeme Wolfenden teamed up as the "Mollymook Ocean Swimmers" to win the inaugural all-male 50+ team award.

A superb effort came in the mixed teams, where "Team Plenty Quick" – Ciaran Penty, Jessica Trafficante, Dylan Apelqvist and Georgia Hardy – missed out breaking the elite 2 hour mark by a mere 25 seconds. Both girls in the team set new best times for their respective legs.

Full results – by category and overall – are published, along with a photo album from the event. The next Sri Chinmoy National Capital Swim will be staged on 14 November in 2010.

Full results including individual leg times and placings – overall, by sex and and by category – for the Sri Chinmoy National Capital Swim held along the full length of Lake Burley Griffin, Canberra on Sunday 9 November 2008.

A record field assembled at Scrivener Point on Sunday 12 November in conditions promising fast times and 'smooth sailing' for all...

In its third running, the Sri Chinmoy National Capital Swim is attracting more and more interstate swimmers to the lake at the heart of the nation's capital, with swimmers traveling from Sydney, Broken Hill and even Perth for the challenge.

The full 9 kilometre course can be swum solo - with or without a wetsuit - or in relay, with the distance divided into four legs.   The solo swimmers, each accompanied by their own 'support crew' in a kayak, canoe or ski, pushed off from the boom near Scrivener Dam first, with the relay teams setting off in pursuit 15 minutes later.

While swimmers race within their categories - non-wetsuit or wetsuit, male or female and various age divisions - there were some close inter-division tussles including the battle for first out of the water between Simon Meredith (Solo Male with wetsuit) and Alanna Hale (Solo Female no wetsuit), with Simon edging out Alanna by a matter of seconds.   En route to his victory, Simon set new records for Solo Males for the second and fourth legs.   Alanna and Simon were joined on shore by solo swimmers Sean Green and Steven Barry before the first team, the Dickson Old Timers arrived, not able to make good the 15-minute deficit from the start.   Nevertheless, Dickson Old Timers (John Fleming, Peter Stoutjesdijk and Anthony Millgate) set a new course record for an All-Male Team, and the fastest outright time on the day.

The Open Female and Male non-wetsuit winners, Alanna Hale and Sean Green, each set new overall course records, with Alanna now holding the records for both wetsuit and non-wetsuit wearers.

Special mention to our 'younger' finishers: 70+ Geoff Llewellyn who each year breaks his own record as the most senior person to swim the length of the lake; 60+ Helen White, who yesterday became the most senior female to conquer the course; and 60+ Michael Christie who became the oldest person to finish without a wetsuit.

While finishers were settling into their pasta and hot drinks, Rico Fitch and Andrew Watt (pictured, bottom left), two stalwarts who swam the course together as a 'feasibility study' the year before the race was staged officially, tarried only a few minutes at the finish line before returning to the water to swim back to the start to become the first to complete a 'double crossing' of the lake.   Battling steepling waves on the return journey, the pair competed their epic in 6 hours and 40 minutes.   Congratulations Rico and Andrew, you are two true champions!

Almost the moment after the awards were accepted and the crowd dispersed, a fresh breeze excited the waters and conditions were transformed almost in an instant: the race had finished not a moment too soon.

View the full results, including Overall and by Category, and the fastest split times for each leg>>
See the event photo gallery>>
Check out the updated course records>>

9 km not enough for you?   The Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team's next swimming event is the 15 km first leg of the Sri Chinmoy 3-day Ultra-Triathlon on Friday 2 February 2007, which can also be entered as a stand-alone race.   This is followed a week later by the traditional Sri Chinmoy Lake Swims at Yarralumla Bay on Sunday 11 February, with 3 distances on offer - 5 km, 2.5 km and 500 metres.

Those who had been at the inaugural Sri Chinmoy National Capital Swim in November 2004 could be forgiven for failing to recognise today's race as the same event. Brooding clouds, raging winds, crashing waves and a surging swell were traded for a frombulent sky, benign whisper of a breeze and the silent-still glistening surface of an altogether snugglesome lake.

Many of last year's heroes returned, heralded by a most auspicious dawn. Little escaping gasps, sweeps of the hand and delighted gleaming eyes greeted a picture-postcard scene at Scrivener Point. Absent from the formal registration procedures was the usual pre-race din of excited, nervous chatter as swimmers and supporters alike contented themselves with gazing longingly over the languid liquid ahead.

Solo swimmers eased their way from the Scrivener Dam boom into the bosom of an embracing lake and a journey to the far end of a city.  From the still dawn bushland of Yarramundi Reach, Weston Park and Black Mountain Peninsula, their measured strokes would bring them along the rowing course with early morning training in full swing, out into the open waters of West Basin where the sailing boats sport, past swimming beaches, under the span of two mighty bridges, alongside imposing monuments and national symbols- the National Museum, National Library, National Gallery, High Court and Carillon- and across the tranquil East Basin under the gaze of Parliament House to finish on the quiet beach at Grevillea Park.

The race was dominated from the outset by two women, who combined power and grace in offering the rest of the field their wake, including all the relay teams. Alanna Hale, wearing a wetsuit was first to the finish banner in 2:12:39, with the wetsuitless Shanyn Sparreboom (top left) appearing less than 4 minutes later. Chad Schneider flew in from New York to take out the un-wetsuited men's division, while Jason Diederich (with wetsuit, bottom left) also beat a path for all the teams to follow.

Hot soup and pesto pasta seemed to round out the morning quite nicely for most of the swimmers and their paddling helpers, the smiling gathering at Grevillea Park beach resembling more a picnic lunch than an athletic competition.

Check out the full race results, and view the event photo gallery.
 
The Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team's next swimming event will be the Sri Chinmoy Lake Swims (with 500 m, 2.5 km and 5 km options) at Yarralumla Bay on Sunday 19 February 2006.