Results (PDF Download)

Sri Chinmoy National Capital Swim, Sunday 1 December 2024, full results by category 2.06 MB

Sri Chinmoy National Capital Swim, Sunday 1 December 2024, full results overall 1.2 MB

Sri Chinmoy National Capital Swim, Sunday 1 December 2024, top 3 splits per leg by category 553.25 KB

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Challenges and adversity often bring unexpected surprises.

Due to East Basin being closed to swimming, this year to swim the full length of the lake was not possible. The ‘contingency plan’ – 4 laps of a 2.5km loop course around Spinnaker Island – proved a very happy alternative. The start/finish area is a lovely setting for the event HQ, with all supporters and spectators gathering tougher as a community for the whole event, rather than being spread out along the length of the lake, with a wonderful view of proceedings from the tip of Black Mountain Peninsula. Despite heavy rain in the days leading up to the event, race morning dawned clear, with participants remarking on the excellent conditions: calm, clear water, very little wind and a pleasant 22 degrees.

The race saw several seasons, with clouds, rain and sunshine all taking the stage at various times.

Several swimmers were using this course as a qualifying race for other open-water swims, including Rottnest Island and the Cook Strait.

Despite starting all solo swimmers and relay teams together in one wave, the solo swimmers nevertheless dominated the outright placings, with the first placed team coming in 8th place overall.

Liam McHugh took line honours as well as the ‘no wetsuit’ championship. Having moved to Canberra just 4 months ago for work, Liam took to his new ‘home’ lake in style, winning in an impressive 2:31:17. Next home was Greg Taylor, wining the Men 50-59 category in 2:39:16. Last year’s winner, Michael Pranckl swam 2:44:28, to claim 2nd place this time in the Male 50-59 with Paul Kruger 3rd in 3:04:10. 2nd and 3rd in the Solo Male Under 50 were taken by Stanley Alston (2:49:20) and Scott Walker (2:58:31).

Leah Dodd came 7th outright, in winning the Solo Female race (no wetsuit) in an excellent 2:55:19, though not far ahead of her podium companions, 2nd placed Jodie Miller with 2:58:29 and Claire Fishpool with 3:00:05.

There are many races within a race – especially among the various age categories and divisions. When watching all the swimmers from the shore, it is not always clear where and how these races are unfolding. As it happened, the closest race of the day was in the Solo Female 50-59 (no wetsuit) category, with Judith Smart eventually taking the main prize in 3:27:15, ahead of Maranda McLaren’s 3:33:17 and Mary Yule with 3:34:18.

In the welsuit-wearing categories, Mark Pollock was fastest among the Male Under 50 with 2:43:21, from Glen Sturesteps in 2:49:15 – Glen completing the most impressive feat of finishing the Sri Chinmoy Canberra 100 Trail race AND 10km National Capital Swim, in addition to winning his first-ever attempt at the Sri Chimney Triple-Triathlon just 3 weeks ago. Bravo Glen!!

Janet Gorst has been a stalwart of this event for many years, and today showed all her customary class, taking the Solo Female 70 and Over with 3:57:00.

Raquel Holgado, one of our most enthusiastic participants who documented her swim last year in a wonderful video and was again filming today, completed the distance in a wetsuit, in 3:57:36.

Fastest team on the day, and winner of the Mixed Team All Over 50, was “CSS Plus 3” – Dave Peedom, Nicolee Martin and Suzie Gunning – with an impressive 2:58:05.

“BilbyAquanauts” – the father-daughter pairing of Scott and Kate Kristiansen – were the winning Mixed Team Under 50 in 3:19:08.

1st All-Female team was “LGB Mermaids” – Michelle Freer, Jo Abbot, Sarah Hammond and Lili Rogers – in 3:26:49.

The winning All-Male team was “Ripple Effect”, a father-son combo of William and Jeremy Rhind, in 3:51:42.

Many thanks to all organisers and participants for adapting to the changed circumstances this year so smoothly and seamlessly. Special thanks to Florian Geier and his assistants from Lake Tuggeranong Sea Scouts; to Ron Thompson of YMCA Sailing Club; and Rebekah Stamatis for medic support.

Results (PDF Download)

Sri Chinmoy National Capital Swim, Sunday 3 December 2023, full results by category 2.29 MB

Sri Chinmoy National Capital Swim, Sunday 3 December 2023, full results overall 1.18 MB

Sri Chinmoy National Capital Swim, Sunday 3 December 2023, top 3 splits for each leg, by category 561.16 KB

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Thumbing through race reports from years of yore, the main challenge to the reporters seems to have been finding words to describe the horrible conditions, both in the water and on land for the helpers. Driving rain, shivering cold, howling wind, towering waves – all are vividly portrayed … Well, the words are quite simple to describe today’s scene – still, calm, mild, serene … in one word – perfect.

A sure sign of the ideal weather, along with the cheery mood, the air of general satisfaction and perhaps also the hot soup, juicy watermelon and baked goodies at the food marquee, was the size of the crowd who stayed around till well after the final swimmer touched dry land.

With a deluge of fresh rain inundating the lake in the past week, the water was perhaps at its clearest in years. A gentle mist shrouded the surface until the start command, at which point the mist winged away, the flotilla of support kayaks eased forward, keeping their swimmer-charges in sight as a mother cow shepherds her calf.

While Julie Bowman wore a wetsuit and hence didn’t qualify for an “official” award, hers was nevertheless an outstanding achievement, from the Female 50-59 category, to cross the line first in an all-comers 10km race. Julie also set a new record for her category – 2:29:08.

Outright winner of the official “no wetsuit” race was another from the 50-59 category – Michael Pranckl has always been among the trophies and medals in this event, but never before taken home the main prize, his 2:34:24 best on the day and just reward for years of dedicated training.

Everyone who completes 10km in the water is a winner and hero, and it’s notable that every single starter in today’s race, also finished – zero swimmers withdrew after the start. Following are a few performers who demand special mention:

Graeme Wolfenden was pulled from the water at T3 last time around with hypothermia, and dedicated himself to returning and making good that extra distance. Not only did Graeme return and finish the job, he smashed the Male 70 and Over race record with his 3:02:34.

Josephine Casey won the women’s race with a fine 2:37:14; ahead of Male Under 50 winner Mark Hassall in 2:40:47. Gilly Lynch came from Sydney to win the F50-59 in a fine 3:01:47; while one of the best contested categories was the Male 60-69, won eventually by Gary Ullmann in an impressive 2:52:36.

Among those wearing wetsuits, Janet Gorst deserves special credit for her 3:18:01, winning her F60-69 category. Raquel Holgado was 1st FU50 with 3:29:48; Chris Allison 1st in the MU50 with 2:46:11; and Steven Boyt 1st in the M50-59s in 2:51:18.

The leading All-Male team (and fastest completed 10km time) was “The Wet Apostles” (Daniel and Oliver Robinson, Cameron Dodd and Nicholas Lamond) in 2:24:24. Best All-Female team was “Catch and Release” (Megan O’Neill Johnston, Samantha Morley, Rebecca Lannin and Monica Lindemann) with 3:14:05; while “JTM Relay Team” (Gwenala La Lu and Andrew Walton) took home the main prize in the Mixed Team division with their 2:41:12.

Results (PDF Download)

Sri Chinmoy National Capital Swim, Canberra, Sunday 27 November 2022, full results by category 2.17 MB

Sri Chinmoy National Capital Swim, Canberra, Sunday 27 November 2022, full results overall 1.06 MB

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With the very rare conjunction of all of Canberra’s lakes fully closed to swimming for over 2 weeks this month, it seemed almost certain this year’s Sri Chinmoy National Capital Swim would need to be truncated, distorted, amended or cancelled. And if it would happen at all, given the recent preponderance of wet, rainy, stormy, thunderous, blustery and very cold days, it would likely be a miserable ordeal for all involved…

… That the race occurred on schedule, actually covered the length of Lake Burley Griffin after all, in calm, mild waters under clear skies – was perhaps good luck, a marvellous meteorological anomaly, a comic cosmic conspiracy, or perhaps the concerted will and optimism of an entire field of aspiring, committed swimmers.

With the lake temperature hovering around 19 degrees, more swimmers than usual opted to wear their wetsuits – for those unused to sustained immersion in cool waters, definitely a wise move.

Of the Wieland brothers, Ned (the elder) opted to swim sans wetsuit, while younger brother Duke donned the suit. The difference was remarkable, with Duke powering away from the start and increasing his lead at each transition, reaching the beach at Grevillea Park a full 10 minutes ahead of Ned – 1:58:50 to 2:08:51. The wetsuited Matthew Hogan and Rhys Sweaney were closely matched, shadowing each other in 2:33:16 and 2:33:27 respectively, just ahead of the 1st Mixed Team, “Algal Zoom” (Melanie Wellenberg and William Aikman) in 2:33:46.

Next unsuited swimmer was the consistently excellent Michael Pranckl, in 2:42:59, ahead of Conor O’Brien with 2:47:27. Others to finish in the Males Under 50 were Tom Sullivan (3:42:13), Jack Nottle (3:44:21) and the dauntless Grant Campbell in 4:19:40. Peter Power was fastest among the Males 50-59 sans wetsuit, finishing in 3:01:08, with a close tussle to decide 2nd and 3rd between Jonathan Wall (3:08:23) and Andrew Reichel (3:08:34), with Male 60-69 winner Ross Youngman making it a 3-way sprint in the chute. Leading the back-markers of the field, Neil Papenfus put the lake behind him in 4:24:56. Used to the Meers and Waters of the Lake District, 71-year-old Bill Hitchcock just arrived from the UK to sample lake swimming Down Under-style in our own LBG, which he grasped and conquered in the formidable time of 4:29:28.

Emily Kempson was a clear winner of the women’s non-wetsuit race, taking line honours in 3:00:28, ahead of crowd favourite Emily Dwyer’s 3:16:38, while Liz Crowhurst took out the Female 50-59 non-wetsuit division with her 3:51:25.

Nicolee Martin was first wetsuited woman home (from the F50-59 category) in 2:49:37; Katie Binstock, the only Under 50 female to swim with a wetsuit, spanned the lake in 3:10:35; while the impressive Suzie Gunning claimed the F60-69 wetsuited prize in 3:19:40.

In the M50-59 wetsuited division, Chris Southby (2:52:09) and Aston Duncan (2:59:16) both broke the sought-after 3 hour barrier – the furthest Aston has ever swum, a mighty feat having completed the Sri Chinmoy Triple-Triathlon just a fortnight ago. Michael Rodda tallied 3:15:29; while Andrew Leigh (3:48:45) completed a laudable double, finishing his first Sri Chinmoy 100km Trail Run and 10km swim in just a few months (with a 2:54 Chicago Marathon for Rob de Castella’s Indigenous Marathon Foundation, sandwiched in between). In the M60-69s, Chris Carson (3:26:46) proved best on the day, from Bob Welldon’s 3:39:22.

In the MU50 wetsuit category, Samuel Cox crossed the line in 2:44:18, from Brendan Cook with 2:58:14 and Joe Walshe (another Triple-Tri finisher from 2 weeks ago), 3:14:05.

Fastest All-Female team on the day was “Sharks are Friends” (Samantha Morley and Rebecca Lannin), with 3:12:15; while the title of best All-Male ensemble was claimed by “Bilby Lookers” (Scott McClymont, Peter Thorley, Alex Gosman and Lachlan McCalman) in 2:53:10.

Our gratitude to all volunteers and helpers – to the YMCA Sailing Club; to Florian Geier and the Lake Tuggeranong Sea Scouts; to Paul Robey and Rebecca Stamatis for medical support; to Emily Stacey; and members of the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team from Latvia, Mongolia and Canberra.

Results (PDF Download)

Sri Chinmoy National Capital Swim, Sunday 28 November 2021, full results by category 1.7 MB

Sri Chinmoy National Capital Swim, Sunday 28 November 2021, full results overall 730.84 KB

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The Sri Chinmoy National Capital Swim course was redesigned 2 years ago by Greg Gourley, increasing the distance to the standard Marathon Swim of 10 kilometres. Last year, due to closure of parts of Lake Burley Griffin, the event was swum around a loop course in Lake Ginninderra. Today, with Scrivener Dam spilling over following sustained rainfall, the start had to be relocated to the first transition point at Weston Park West – the first leg of the swim becoming an out-and-back triangular loop. Thus while the distance covered was the full 10km, the route actually did not span the length of the lake – hence times swum today sadly cannot be recognised as official course records.

Without any hot days to warm the lake, the water has remained stubbornly cool this year, compared with a typical November. Hence the majority of the field wisely opted to take to the water in wetsuits.

Nevertheless, 6 brave swimmers – 5 of them female – took the plunge sans wetsuit. First home was Josephine Casey in 3:15:50, from 2nd placed Hanalei Bickley with 3:22:13.

Next across the line was 1st placed Solo Male 60-69 – and only male to finish the race without a wetsuit – Ross Youngman with a fine swim of 3:28:08; while Joanne Wilson completed the podium placings for the women’s race with her 3:42:04.

Those who remained the longest in the water without the protection of a wetsuit were winners in another sense, of withstanding the cold for longest. Liz Crowhurst won the Solo Female 50-59 category with 4:30:25; while Kim Cook was 4th Solo Female home in 4:40:54.

Multiple race-winner Ned Wieland was uncomfortable in his wetsuit, so he discarded it after 5km of swimming, and still took out the race in a sleek 2:23:06, from Jake Andrews who was never far adrift of Ned, following closely in 2:23:18. Guy Boland followed with 2:33:18.

Sydney’s Isabella Coghlan swam impressively to lead all the women home in a fine 2:40:54; while Clint Pickin rounded out the sub-3 hour swimmers with 2:51:40. Ross McGarvie was 1st M50-59 with 3:02:29.

The closest competition came in the All-Female Teams, with “Tivoli girls” (Lilly McCowan, Alexandra Bullman, Polly Kirton & Claudia Williams) – 2:44:01 – just edging out “Kiwi & Kangaroo” (Melanie Wellenberg & Angharad Llewellyn) in 2:44:54.

“Bilbys Swim Squad” (Glen Sturesteps, Megan O’Neil & Alex Gosman) took the loss of one of their swimmers before the race start in their stride, to take out the Mixed Teams division in 3:09:37.

Just ahead of them were the pairing of “Rod & Reel” (Andrew Dawes & Rod Smith) who have taken out a mortgage on the All-Male Over 50 teams prize, retaining their title this year with 3:08:47, placing them first among the male teams – among the All-Male teams of unrestricted age, “Seize the carp!” (Scott McClymont, Scott Kristiansen, Lachlan McCalman & Terry Dixon) seized the main honour in 3:33:28.

Our gratitude, as always, goes to loyal helpers of this event, the Canberra Canoe Club and YMCA Sailing Club, and to Rebekah Stamatis and Paul Robey for medical support.

Results (PDF Download)

Sri Chinmoy National Capital Swim, Sunday 29 November 2020, full results by category 292.37 KB

Sri Chinmoy National Capital Swim, Sunday 29 November 2020, full results overall 273.66 KB

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When the wind blows hard and long, you want to have it at your back. Ironically, if the race had been held from end-to-end of Lake Burley Griffin as intended, swimmers would have benefited from a tail gale and fast times would surely have ensued. However, with East Basin and a few transition beaches closed, the only option was to stage the race on a loop course: Lake Ginninderra offered a setting less busy, though quiet and pretty.

2020 marked the first time this race has extended to the full Olympic Marathon swim distance – 10km – so the 2.5km loop was to be completed 4 times, anti-clockwise. Sadly though, because not swum on the ‘official’ course in Lake Burley Griffin, best times from today cannot be recognised as course records.

The Over-50s relay teams dived in with all the Solo Swimmers at 6.30am – not only was the morning cooler, it seems the wind had not yet received its orders for the day. The remaining relay teams followed after 15 minutes. An advantage of the loop course is that spectators could wander along the shore and follow most of the action, without needing to drive and navigate from one transition to another.

By the second lap, kayakers were fastening their hat straps, swimmers were struggling to make forward progress into the wind, and officials were clinging forlornly to the inflatable finish arch – a mission ultimately deemed futile and abandoned.

Ned Wieland has performed splendidly at the Sri Chinmoy National Capital Swim for several years. Today the 19-year-old veteran brought along his younger brother Duke (17) in tow, and the pair literally swam stroke for stroke through the full 10km, barely missing a beat through the fiercest bluster (their 2nd lap was only a minute slower than the 1st), with Ned powering home to finish in a fantastic 2:18:07, 3 seconds clear of his understudy Duke in 2:18:10. Another Sydney teenager, 14-year-old Lucas Dubois felt the effects of the wind more as the race wore on, yet showed plenty of class and guts to claim 3rd with an exceptional display of 2:37:34. Other sub-3-hour finishers – outstanding in the conditions – came from Michael Pranckl (2:48:56), Chad Schneider (2:56:49), Mark Newman (2:57:41) and the strong winner of the Male 50-59s, Murray Chapman in 2:59:13. Greg Gourley, who had designed a perfect 10km course in Lake Burley Griffin which will now have to wait another 12 months in cotton wool, took out the Male 60-69 with his sterling 3:54:52.

Belinda Bullivant glided through the water as though it were a still pond in winning the women’s race courtesy of a fine 3:02:01, from 2nd placed Courtney Bicknell (3:06:35), with Annabel Maggs (3:31:30) completing the podium placings. Right on Annabel’s toes however, came 1st placed Female 50-59, Nicolee Martin with 3:32:20, from Suzie Gunning’s 3:38:09.

Team-of-2 pairings did very well in the Relay races. The All-Female Teams division was taken out by the pairing of Janelle Ahern & Melanie Wellenberg (AKA “Zig and Zag”), in 3:02:19; while the ensemble of “Bilby Bathers” (Peter Thorley & Alex Gosman) came home strongest in the All-Male Teams Over 50, with a fine 2:57:13, taking 3rd placed team overall. The Open All-Male Teams race was dominated by “JT Multisport” (Yoann Colin, Joseph Pascall & James Thorp), winning in 2:31:20; while the Mixed Teams event saw “Team Keeping It Real” (Steve Robertson, Teresa Wynter, Pete Quinn & Alex Bowyer) just missing the 3 hour barrier, clocking in at 3:00:35.

On behalf of all participants, our immense gratitude to the sterling work under trying conditions from members of the Canberra Canoe Club under the stewardship of John Birch; and to our medical officer, Rebekah Stamatis, who fortunately had a quiet morning of it.

Results (PDF Download)

Sri Chinmoy National Capital Swim, Sunday 1 December 2019, full results by category 367.99 KB

Sri Chinmoy National Capital Swim, Sunday 1 December 2019, full results overall 348.36 KB

Sri Chinmoy National Capital Swim, Sunday 1 December 2019, top 3 times for each relay leg by category 81.02 KB

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Glancing at the first few images form the event photo album, you’d be lulled into imagining today’s swim a serene sojourn, gliding across a glistening mirror-like lake … though by the closing stages, you’ll notice even the seagulls are seeking shelter from the blustering gale…

54 solo swimmers – a record field for the Sri Chinmoy National Capital Swim – was boosted by the presence of 7 members of the Australian Open Water Swimming squad, fortuitously in Canberra for a training weekend, and joined by AIS champion Para-Swimmer, Monique Murphy. Although the overall course records (for both wetsuit and non-wetsuit categories) did not fall – and could not have been recognised even if they had fallen, due to a late change to the course necessitated by the closure of the customary location for the 2nd relay transition at Yarralumla Swimming Beach – the average pace at the front of the field was the fastest ever seen.

Only 3 seconds separated the fastest wetsuited males – Nicholas Sloman edging ahead in 1:55:56 from Bailey Armstrong’s 1:55:59 – while Australian Olympic 10km representative Kareena Lee emerged just in their slipstream to take out the women’s wetsuited crown with an outstanding 1:56:34.

Next home was the champion wetsuitless swimmer offering the standout swim of the day – Nicholas Rollo with a superb solo swim over 9km of 1:56:48. Following Nicholas came the 2nd and 3rd podium placings in the female wetsuit-wearers; Madisyn Armstrong with 1:57:19 and Mackenzie Brazier in 1:59:03. Never before has this event seen 6 swimmers crossing the line in under 2 hours! (3rd placed wetsuited male, Michael Harding came just 35 seconds after the 2 hour mark).

David Allen and Nicholas Allnutt were exceptional 2nd and 3rd placegetters of the Solo Male (no wetsuit) category with 2:03:00 and 2:05:47 respectively. Our ever-cheerful AIS Para-Swimmer, Monique Murphy swam an extraordinary 2:19:51 to take out the premier prize in the wetsuitless women’s race; from Ashleigh Webb (2:36:28) and Courtney Bicknell (2:47:44). In other wetsuitless category results, Lesa Hansen was fastest amongst Women 50-59 with 3:20:31; and the youthful Pauline English winner of the Female 60-69 in 3:54:19. Consistent campaigner Alan Vogt was sharp as ever to take out the Male 50-59 in 2:30:04, from Mark Knackstedt’s 2:39:45; while ever-green Graeme Wolfenden yet again drove home with the Male 60-69 champion’s trophy after 3:03:29 in the water.

The other pre-eminent placings among the wetsuit-clad swimmers went to Nicolee Martin (1st place Female 50-59) with 2:34:04, from Suzie Gunning in 2:50:39; Inge Close (1st place Female 60-69) with an exceptional 2:51:47; Stuart Ludington with 2:45:17 to take out the main prize in the Male 50-59, from Jon Schol’s 2:55:03; and Greg Gourley – a late switch from non-wet to wetsuit wearing to the dismay of his fellow categorians – taking the Male 60-69 in another fine swim – his 10th consecutive annual conquest of the lake’s length – of 2:41:59, from Grant Lepp’s 3:00:09.

While the 2nd and 3rd legs of today’s swim were altered by the late change of the Yarralumla transition, nevertheless legs 1 and 4 remained unchanged, hence new best times set for these legs go straight into the record books. Congratulations to our Olympian, Kareena Lee, who established new best times for a female solo swimmer in a wetsuit, for leg 1 of 20:23 and for leg 4 of 20:49; and to Chloe Bateup for the new fastest time for a female relay swimmer for leg 1 of 23:01.

Fastest All-Female Relay team this morning was the elite “PTC Girls” pairing of Chloe Bateup and Monique De Abreu, with 2:28:28. Best Mixed Team was the “JT Multisport – National Capital Swim Team” combination of Chris Mutton, Joseph Pascall and Josie Pepper with 2:20:17; the winning All-Male Team was “Just Keep Swimming”, comprising Shaun Harris and Corey Bacon in 2:21:31; while the tried and true “Rod and Reel” (Andrew Dawes and Rod Smith), proved their previous wins in the All-Male All Over 50 teams category were no fluke, with 2:32:23 pirating yet more silverwear back up the Hume to Goulburn!

Gratitude to all who make this landmark event possible, including members of the Canberra Canoe Club and YMCA Sailing Club, Sports Trainers from Sports Medicine Australia (ACT) and volunteers from the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team from Canberra, Mongolia, Latvia, England, New Zealand, Czech Republic and the USA.

2020 will see a few innovations at the Sri Chinmoy National Capital Swim: a modified course, new distance and changed start time. Stay tuned for details to be announced early in the New Year.

Results (PDF Download)

Sri Chinmoy National Capital Swim, Sunday 2 December 2018, full results by category 353.4 KB

Sri Chinmoy National Capital Swim, Sunday 2 December 2018, full results overall 325.15 KB

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Ah, the joys of Spring!

Too many race reports start with talk about the weather – and this will be another, for the wind bestrode this event as it owned Lake Burley Griffin today and all activity thereon. Some swimmers became seasick and several were forced to withdraw when choppy waves became unnavigable and support paddlers themselves became swimmers after being upended in the swell. The advantage of a tailwind was largely lost through the extra distance covered vertically as well as horizontally in the effort to maintain any sense of direction. Efforts to hoist the inflatable finish arch were abandoned as the height of folly.

The closest tussle in the lake today was between eventual winner of the Solo Female race in 2:32:13, Emily Kempson from runner-up Georgy Falster’s 2:33:35. Emily never led by more than 30 seconds for the first 8km, with Georgy having the advantage through the final transition at Commonwealth Place before Emily turned up the effort on the final leg to bring home the win. Samantha Doust completed the podium placings with 2:37:23. Nicolee Martin was the standout in the Solo Female 50-59, winning in 3:03:24 from a virtual dead-heat for 2nd placing between Liz Crowhurst (3:43:02) and Dee Greenwood (3:43:03).

Nicholas Grinter has always done well at the Sri Chinmoy National Capital Swim, though there has usually been one or more superstars of the sport ahead of him. Today was Nicholas’ day, leading from the outset to record a fine win in 2:22:13 withstanding a strong challenge from 2nd placed Michael Pranckl in 2:22:48. Pierre Lord came in 3rd with an excellent 2:24:01; though he decided against his original plan to swim the return leg back to the start in the face of the monstrous headwind and considerable peril to paddlers that would have entailed.

Stuart McNeill led home the Males 50-59 with 2:24:17 in a gutsy swim, ahead of Ant Schwager (2:29:55) and and Mark Knackstedt (2:37:06). Jon Schol took the award for the Males 50-59 wearing a wetsuit in his debut swim at this distance in 2:54:26.

Greg Gourley is in a class of his own in the Male 60-69 category, and though he elected to wear a wetsuit today, Greg emerged from the churning water in a fleeting 2:33:07 looking like he had just swum a few warm-up laps of the local pool.

Katie Binstock was unchallenged in the Solo Females wearing a wetsuit, taking her division in 2:45:24. Of the Solo Males wearing a wetsuit, Nicolas Campos was fastest in a sleek 2:30:32, from Brendan Cook’s 2:35:35 and Paul Jeffery in 2:46:58. Inge Close won the Solo Female 60-69 with a wetsuit in a very impressive 2:43:35, only seconds ahead of her wetsuit-wearing younger competitors in the Female 50-59, won by Sue Lyon in 2:43:57.

The fastest combination of the morning was the mixed team of “JT Multisport” (James Thorp, Joe Pascall & Grace Hoitink) who made it from one end of the lake to the other in a mere 2:02:50. The famed Goulburn pairing of “Rod and Reel” (Andrew Dawes & Rod Smith) were next fastest, taking out the All-Male Team All-Over 50 division in 2:17:30. “Zig and zag” was the most aptly named team of the day, with Janelle Ahern and Melanie Wellenberg alternating legs to bring home 1st place trophies in the All-Female Team with a combined 2:33:11. “Old Guys Rule” (Terry Eveston & Scott Kristiansen – who were indeed beaten by the older guys!) meanwhile won the All-Male Team in 3:07:53.

Once we figured out who was who in the elder ladies’ teams divisions, “Vikings Vintage 61” (Jeanette Droop & Leisa Cass) took out the All-Female Team All Over 50 division in 3:14:43; while Team “SASSY” (Helen Rubin & Karina Horton) were victorious in the All-Female Team All Over 60 with 3:37:09.

Our special thanks today to the support paddlers from Canberra Canoe Club – and to all the personal padder-helpers who cheerfully or foolishly braved the breakers – along with wholehearted assistance from the crews from the YMCA Sailing Club and medical support from Sports Medicine Australia.

Results (PDF Download)

Sri Chinmoy National Capital Swim, 26 November 2017, full results by category 317.29 KB

Sri Chinmoy National Capital Swim, 26 November 2017, full results overall 292.82 KB

Sri Chinmoy National Capital Swim, 26 November 2017, top 3 times for each leg, by category 1.03 MB

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It is not often that a solo swimmer – without a wetsuit – will defeat all of the relay teams – most of whom are wetsuit-clad – and by a long way. Yet Ned Wieland did just that today, the 16-year old clocking a mighty impressive 2:04:03 for the 9km length of Canberra’s Lake Burley Griffin to record his first victory in this event. This is the 4th time Ned has completed this epic swim, and his fastest time to date.

The next 2 swimmers home were also soloists though both were swimming in the wetsuit divisions. It proved to be a battle of the sexes among the wetsuit wearers which ebbed and flowed between Glen Downey and Ellie Hoitink. Ellie set the early pace and had a one-minute lead into the 1st transition. Glen gradually reeled Ellie in though and took the lead on the 3rd leg, finally winning in 2:14:03 with Ellie taking out the Female wetsuit race in 2:15:10, just ahead of 2nd placed Male sans wetsuit, Nicholas Grinter in 2:15:50.

Among the relay teams participating today were a surprising number of pairs (teams of 2). The winning All-Male team who came in next, in 2:20:50, was the “Tenacious Turtles”, a pairing of Paul Rinder and Tim Staunton Smith. Three more Solo Male No-Wetsuit competitors followed: German Michael Pranckl in an impressive 2:23:49; then Michael Brennan, backing up his 2nd placed Solo in last week’s gruelling Sri Chinmoy Triple-Triathlon in 2:28:16; followed closely by Todd Hayward in 2:28:58.

“Rod and Reel” – the All-Male Over 50s pairing from Goulburn of Andrew Dawes and Rodney Smith – bettered they own course record for this category set last year, with a new best time now under two and a half hours, of 2:29:44. “The Old Guys Again” – Canberra duo of Alex Gosman and Terry Dixon – did exactly the same thing, breaking their own record set just last year, this time clocking 2:39:19 for the distance.

Jocelyn Pollock was fastest Female Without a Wetsuit, winning the race in 2:32:54 from Kathryn McCabe (2:59:48) and Melinda Bruce (3:04:30). Sally Catt took the Female 50-59 category in 3:17:12; while Jannion Di Tommaso made history by being the first woman over 60 to swim the length of Lake Burley Griffin without a wetsuit in under 3 hours! Her new record time sits at the very impressive mark of 2:56:46.

Still with the Non-Wetsuit swimmers, Stuart McNeill took out the Male 50-59 category in 2:33:02; and Graeme Wolfenden the Male 60-69 with 2:49:11.

Winning the remaining Wetsuit categories were:

Female 50-59: Bronwyn Platz, 3:23:47
Female 60-69: Heather Urie, 3:41:53
Male 50-59: Tim Garrett: 2:58:32

The winners of the other teams categories:

All-Female Team: “Vikings Pocket Rockets” (Atsuko McGowan and Suzie Gunning), 2:50:16
Mixed Team: “The Sinking Sea Cows” (Kurt Warn, Olivia, Claire and Mark Stutchbury), 2:50:48

Very special congratulations and our undying wonder and amazement to Eli Ball, who completed the Sri Chinmoy National Capital Swim for the second time swimming the entire distance butterfly! – in the excellent time of 3:27:28.

Our gratitude to the YMCA Sailing Club and Canberra Canoe Club for providing on-water safety; and to Sports Medicine Australia for medical support.

Results (PDF Download)

Sri Chinmoy National Capital Swim, 4 December 2016, full results by category 371.25 KB

Sri Chinmoy National Capital Swim, 4 December 2016, full results overall 342.96 KB

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“Splendid” is a word that almost suffered from over-use on Sunday 4 December, in the mouths of those describing the weather and conditions for the 14th annual Sri Chinmoy National Capital Swim. If swimmers had been asked to pre-book the conditions in advance, this is the day many would have dreamed of.

Among the Solo Simmers (No Wetsuit), the girls were right up there with the lead boys; Emma Gillingham and Isabella Coghlan both swimming superb races to place 2nd and 3rd outright. Swimming smoothly, powerfully and with great determination, Emma won the Women’s race in 2:05:10, from Isabella’s 2:07:40 and Jenna Freeman in 2:21:21.

Ben Freeman, the defending course record holder, swam a superbly controlled race over the full 9km to win outright in 1:58:45, the only competitor today (including all teams) to break the gold standard 20hour barrier. Behind him were two lion-hearted youths in Eskindir (“Skinny”) Gavel (2:08:54) and Ned Wieland (2:10:29).

Lloyd Dobson triumphed in the Male 50-59 with 2:49:50; and Greg Gourley, a stalwart of this race, celebrated his 60th birthday by taking out the Male 60-69 premiere trophy in 2:59:36.

Nicole Martin won the Female 50-59 in a fine 2:50:13; with Jannion Di Tommaso continuing her winning run at this race, winning the Female 60-69 in 3:15:38.

Sarah Murphy took out the Women’s (wetsuit) race in 2:44:00; while Sue Lyon took out the Female 50-59 with 3:10:30. Peter Turner won the Male 50-59 (wetsuit) with 3:03:09; and Bob Weldon the Male 60-69 (wetsuit) in 3:17:02. Geoff Llewellyn continues to amaze and inspire us all, taking out the Male 80 and Over division just days after his 83rd birthday, in 3:33:35.

A feature of the teams categories this year was the number of pairs not only participating, but doing extremely well. In the All-Female Teams, the pairing of “Claire and Katie” (Claire Fishpool and Katie Binstock) headed all of the more numerously-membered teams, winning in 2:44:06.

Three more pairs even set new course records, all in the “Veterans Teams” categories: “Rod and Reel” (Goulburn’s Andrew Dawes and Rodney Smith) broke the previous record in the All-Male Team (All Over 50) with their 2:31:48; while the illustrious pairing of Alex Gosman and Terry Dixon (“The Old Guys”) laid down a new best time for the All-Male Team (All Over 60) of 2:48:33. Yet another pair of Deborah Johns and Helen Rubin (”S.A.S.S.Y.”) set a new best-time for the All-Female Team (All Over 60) of 4:22:32.

“3 Mates and a Carp” (Greg Mitchell, Matty Hardy, Tyrone Compton and Mick Hanbury) proved too good in the All-Male Teams (Open), winning in 2:30:34; while late entry “The Swimpsons” (Oscar Johnston, Kylie Message and Guy Jones) took out the Mixed Teams division in 2:23:00.

The organisers wish to thank the members of the Canberra Canoe Club, YMCA Sailing Club and Sports Medicine Australia for their invaluable and much appreciated service. Congratulations to all swimmers who took to the water on this memorable and most enjoyable occasion.

Results (PDF Download)

Sri Chinmoy National Capital Swim, 29 November 2015, full results by category 271.69 KB

Sri Chinmoy National Capital Swim, 29 November 2015, full results overall 253.3 KB

Sri Chinmoy National Capital Swim, top 3 split times for each leg by category 559.77 KB

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To swim 9km non-stop is a remarkable human achievement, attainable by a select few. Even to complete the distance in relay is a great credit to all participants in this rare event, celebrating the capacity of the human spirit by swimming the entire length, end-to-end of Canberra’s Lake Burley Griffin.

There were some phenomenal accomplishments today, including outstanding times from the winning male – Benjamin Freeman’s 1:54:10 barely outside his own course record by 26 seconds – and the winning female – Emma Gillingham’s 1:57:23 within 2 minutes of Jessica Traficante’s 2013 fastest time. Benjamin and Emma were in a class of their own, though only one team followed them in (the winning Mixed Team combination of Haydn Valle and Amanda Tully – “CRUIZ’n’it” – in 2:07:05), before another of the standout finishers of the day, 2nd Solo Male in 2:08:37 from 14-year-old Ned Wieland. Ned is certainly one to watch as he continues to surprise even himself with his astonishing and ever-blossoming capacity.

Course records tumbled in several categories, including Tim Mather’s new over 70 (no wetsuit) time of 3:15:35; Jannion De Tomasio who bettered her last year’s Female 50-59 (wetsuit) record by setting a new best time for Female 60-69 (wetsuit) of 2:37:11 – giving her two current records in separate categories, with the older category the faster time! Geoff Llewellyn (over 80); Lachlan Lewis (over 70) and John Kennedy (over 60) teamed up to set a new Over 60s Male Team best time of 3:27:42.

Solo leg records were broken by Benjamin Freeman (leg 1 in 19:24 and leg 3 in 38:56); and a new fastest time for a female in a team for leg 1 by Nicolee Martin of 24:23.

Notwithstanding all these stellar individual performances, which gave one the feeling at the finish line of rubbing shoulders with giants, the show-stopper which drew a standing ovation from the assembled throng on the beach came from Eli Ball, the final swimmer to finish. His time of 3:39:01 would not normally have turned too many heads, especially in the elite company assembled today. The jaw-dropping factor was the stroke – Eli swam the ENTIRE 9km length of the lake butterfly!

The spirit of aspiration and adventure, of daring to challenge the seemingly absurd and downright improbable – embodied by Eli’s swim, captured everyone’s imagination and admiration. It is always inspiring and thrilling to witness the boundaries of the possible being stretched and transcended with such a dauntless and fearless resolve. Thank you, Eli!

The event was attended by soft cloud cover and a gentle breeze upon a mild lake, boding well for all participants and allowing for all to focus on their own application without having to contend with additional challenges from the elements: a day for all to be grateful.

The Sri Chinmoy National Capital Swim for 2014 – celebrating the 50th anniversary of Lake Burley Griffin – was staged in Canberra on Sunday 30 November 2014. Full results, by category and overall, follow:

Sri Chinmoy National Capital Swim, 30 November 2014, 9 km: full results by category>>

Sri Chinmoy National Capital Swim, 30 November 2014, 9 km: full results overall>>

Records tumbled in a calm lake as swimmers celebrated the 50th anniversary of Canberra’s centrepiece Lake Burley Griffin in style, covering its entire 9km length in the 11th annual Sri Chinmoy National Capital Swim.

Making his debut at this race, 17-year-old Benjamin Freeman swam the fastest time without wetsuit assistance of 1:53:44 (including record times for 3 of the 4 relay legs en route); while the swimmer whose time he beat, Oliver Bourne – who today chose to wear a wetsuit – returned the swiftest time ever of 1:50:04 (and 2 of the 4 relay leg records for one wearing a wetsuit). Oliver led from the outset, with Benjamin never more than a few minutes behind, the pair offering a tandem masterclass in swimming with grace and strength.

Other records to fall included:

Without Wetsuit

* Male 50-59; John Fox (2:09:06)
* Female 60-69; Janet Gorst (3:08:36)

With Wetsuit

* Female 50-59; Jannion De Tomasso (2:40:29)
* Mixed Relay Team; Team GLAN (1:55:54, including new leg records for fastest male in leg 1 to Adam Rudgley with his 21:04; and fastest female in leg 4 to Grace Hoitink for her 21:57).

A record solo field of 40 swimmers (later joined by 18 relay teams) started the morning from Scrivener Point (near Scrivener Dam), with relay transition points at Weston Park west beach, Yarralumla Bay swimming beach and Commonwealth Place, finishing the 9 km length-of-the-lake at Grevillea Park beach, not far from the head of the lake.

Despite a few light showers, almost windless conditions made for a smooth lake and swift, untroubled swimming.

Aside from the record-breaking performances mentioned above, other category winners were:

Without Wetsuit

* Female Under 50; Jenna Freeman (2:05:37) (3rd outright without a wetsuit)

With Wetsuit

* Female Under 50; Alison Taylor (2:52:01)
* Female 60-69; Helen Rubin (3:41:09)
* Male 50-59; Stuart Hodge (2:51:24)
* Male 80 and Over; Geoff Llewellyn (3:09:46)

* All-Male Team – CRUIZ'n'it (Haydn Valle & Brandon Pyke), 2:17:31
* All-Female Team – Viking Youngsters (Lisa Moore, Anne Smyth, Suzie Gunning, Nicolee Martin), 2:39:40

Full results – both by category and overall – are published, along with a spectacular photo album from an unforgettable morning.

The 10th Sri Chinmoy National Capital Swim was staged along the full 9km length of Lake Burley Griffin, Canberra on Sunday 1 December 2013. Full results, both overall and by category follow:

Sri Chinmoy National Capital Swim, 1 December 2013, full results by category>>

Sri Chinmoy National Capital Swim, 1 December 2013, full results overall>>

Sri Chinmoy National Capital Swim, 1 December 2013, top 3 placings in each leg, by category>>

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The 10th annual Sri Chinmoy National Capital Swim – the 9km length of Canberra's Lake Burley Griffin – was staged on Sunday 1 December 2013 under a benign sky with nary a puff of breeze. As the saying goes, the Gods must have been smiling on us today.

Geoff Llewellyn – one of the proudest supporters of this event from its inception – today celebrated his 80th birthday in style, becoming the oldest person to swim the length of the lake, and setting a new course record in the process for M80+ of 3:06:04. It seems inappropriate that Geoff should be setting records for being the "oldest" for something, when his whole demeanour is so young and vibrant…

The race for line honours was a neck-and-neck tussle throughout between Jessica Traficante and Warren Keegan, the lead see-sawing between the two until Warren finally drew away in the last leg to stride up the beach just 1 minute and 20 seconds clear. Yet for all the drama, the two were racing in separate categories – Warren in the Male with a Wetsuit category and Jessica in the Female sans Wetsuit division.

Even though Warren finished ahead in the end, his presence possibly spurred Jessica on, ensuring she did not slacken her effort, and what an inspiring effort it was! Jessica claimed a phenomenal new course record of 1:55:27 for this challenging swim. Along the way, Jessica also lowered her own leg records for the 1st and 3rd legs, with new times of 19:27 and 38:19 respectively. A mighty performance from a fine athlete – congratulations, Jessica!

Warren's time of 1:54:07 is also a new all-comers course record and a new mark for Males Under 50 with Wetsuit. He looked smooth and controlled the whole way, and like Jessica, he too collected new records for the 1st and 3rd legs en route with 19:43 and 38:00 – a wonderful swim and a large-hearted competitor.

Next swimmer to the beach was defending champion, Oliver Bourne, a clear winner in the Male Under 50 sans Wetsuit category. While Oliver's time of 2:06:52 wasn't his fastest for the course and he struggled to stay warm over such a distance, nevertheless his swim was all class, befitting a national standard athlete.

Another course record tumbled in the Male 50-59 solo swim, where Mark Wieland bested his own time with a marvellous swim of 2:22:18; while likewise Ann Sullivan set a new best time for Women 60-69 with her 4:08:36.

In other solo categories, Graeme Wolfenden swam a fine 2:55:12 to take out the Men 60-69 category; Pauline English won the Women 60-69 with Wetsuit division in 3:22:59; and Clare Humberstone outlasted them all with her epic win in the Female Under 50 with Wetsuit category, with 4:41:52.

Fastest Mixed Team was the pairing of Jennifer Davis and Luke Kay – "Sink or swim" – who came home in 2:18:19. Best All-Female team was another pair of Anne Smyth and Nicolee Martin – "Viking Duo" – finishing in 2:39:14. The fastest All-Male Team on the day was "4 Mates" – Matt Hardy, Steve Baker, Mick Hanbury and Greg Mitchell – who clocked 2:29:53 for the 9km course.

Full results – both overall and by category – are published, along with a photo album from the morning. Congratulations to all who participated and a big Thank You! to the helpers from Canberra Canoe Club, the YMCA Sailing Club and Sports Medicine Australia for their support on the water throughout.

The Sri Chinmoy National Capital Swim – the 9 km length of Lake Burley Griffin, Canberra - for solos swimmers and relay teams of 4 – for 2012 were held Sunday 2 December 2012. Full results, by age category and overall, follow:

Sri Chinmoy National Capital Swim, 2 December 2012 full results by category>>

Sri Chinmoy National Capital Swim, 2 December 2012 full results overall>>

Sri Chinmoy National Capital Swim, 2 December 2012 full top 3 times for each leg, by category>>

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The 9th annual Sri Chinmoy National Capital Swim â€“ the 9 km length of Canberra's Lake Burley Griffin â€“ was held on Sunday 2 December 2012.

A still, quiet start to the day boded well for smooth swimming and fast times, though after about half way clouds gathered and a westerly wind picked up, making the second half considerably tougher than the first.

In all, 34 solo swimmers (with a record of 28 swimming sans wetsuit) and 7 relay teams started â€“ and all completed the race. Swimmers came from many parts of mostly ACT, NSW and Victoria.

Ours and the crowd's favourite competitor, Geoff Llewellyn â€“ who celebrated his 79th birthday the day before the race â€“ finished first in his category (70+) in the excellent time of 3:02:14.

The superb Oliver Bourne â€“ as has become his custom â€“ took line honours again, the only swimmer to break the magical 2-hour mark in 1:58:05, though this year he opted to wear a wetsuit against the cold.

Warren Keegan was fastest without a wetsuit, finishing in 2:05:44 from Justin Hanby (2:12:25) and Adam Rudgley (2:13:27).

An impressive 5 swimmers competed in the Male 50-59s (no wetsuit), with Mark Wieland taking the main prize and a new course record for this category with a fine 2:30:56. Michael Christie was first in the Male 60-69 (no wetsuit) in 3:46:52.

Brooke James swam alone for most of the race, well clear of her rivals with an impressive 2:21:56 on debut in the Women under 50 (no wetsuit); from Sandy Grekas in 2:48:15, Tara Booth (2:52:17) and Kiri Nothdurft (2:57:20). Bernadette Skelly (3:01:55) came in first in the Women 50-59 (no wetsuit), just ahead of her friend and rival Janet Gorst (3:03:53).

Kat Malarska was the fastest in the Female Under 50 (with wetsuit) with 2:30:29.

First All-Male Team All Over 50 was "Rubadubdub" (Ron Brent, John Kennedy and Geoff Barker) in 3:27:52. First All-Male Team outright were "4 mates" (Greg Mitchell, Nigel Freeman, Matt Hardy and Steve Baker) in 2:26:35. The leading Mixed Team â€“ the most competitive of the Teams divisions with 5 entrants â€“ was "Zigzags" ((Janelle Ahern, David Harmer and Melanie Wellenberg) in 2:39:04. First All-Female Team was the "Viking Dynamic Duo" of Anne Smyth and Caroline Makin in 2:36:28.

A note concerning the results: due to the moving of the second transition from Yarralumla Bay this year, the second leg was shorter than usual. Therefore, times recorded for the second leg in 2012 were not considered eligible for course record times for this leg â€“ though the overall times do count as the overall distance was about the same as usual.

A relaxed and satisfied atmosphere pervaded the finish area with most swimmers very happy with their efforts and results.

10-times English Channel swimmer, Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team member Karteek Clarke of Edinburgh was on hand to present the awards after the race, and chatted with several swimmers about their prospects of a Channel crossing in the near future.

Full results for the race â€“ both overall and by category â€“ are published, along with a photo album from the day.

The Sri Chinmoy National Capital Swim was staged along the full 9 km length of Lake Burley Griffin, Canberra on Sunday 13 November 2011. Full results overall and by age category (for swimmers with and without wetsuits) follow:

Sri Chinmoy National Capital Swim 13 November 2011 full results by category>>

Sri Chinmoy National Capital Swim 13 November 2011 full results overall>>

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The fastest, tensest, closest and most thrilling finish in the history of the Sri Chinmoy National Capital Swim saw a sensational race â€“ stroke for stroke â€“ from start to finish, with course records shattered along the way.

In the end, standing first and showing a better sprint to the line, 17-year-old Oliver Bourne (1:57:27) just shaded 20-year-old Jessica Traficante (1:57:36), to be the first male and female respectively to swim the 9-km length of Lake Burley Griffin under 2 hours, without the aid of wetsuits.

En route and not surprisingly, Oliver broke the Solo Swimmer course record for each of the relay legs, while Jessica also set new best times for 3 of the 4 legs. Astonishingly, both swimmers swam faster times than any relay team has ever managed over the full distance.

The next 4 swimmers to finish were all Solo Females without wetsuits, showing an unprecedented depth of competition among the girls this year. Oliver's 15-year-old sister, Megan Bourne was next in 2:12:49 in her first attempt at this course, powering away from super-swimmer Morgan Skillman (2:13:10) over the final kilometre. Hayley Gosman and Barbora Markincova both recorded their fastest times for the course in a great day for the girls.

Admittedly, conditions on the lake were the best we have ever seen, with nary a whiff of breeze to disturb the mirror-like surface and a delectable 20 degrees in the water making swimming without a wetsuit the preferred option for most of the field.

Steve Meredith and Geoff Llewellyn have made this swim their own. With his win today, Steve now holds 3 overall course records â€“ for the category Male 50-59 without a wetsuit (2:34:40 from 2005); Male 50-59 with a wetsuit (2:28:08 from 2004); and now Male 60-69 with a wetsuit (2:43:27 today). Geoff has swim all but one of these swims since they began, adding yet another trophy to his collection with a fine 3:00:08, certainly the fastest time ever for a 77-year-old.

Craig Kentwell is another who continues to shine each year, winning the Solo Male 50-59s without a wetsuit in 2:56:17.

Among the wetsuit wearers, Dave Hayes was fastest overall and first Male Under 50 in 2:26:11; Cheryl Hutchins came in first among the Female Under 50s in 2:42:44; Greg Gourley was first Male 50-59 in 2:34:06; while Janet Gorst came first in the Female 50-59 with a wonderful swim of 3:07:36.

Right before the start of the race, 2 swimmers with kayaks were seen approaching from the far end of the lake. Wayne Arthur and Alistair Newmarch decided to "warm up" for the event by swimming the entire 9 km course in reverse. Jumping out of the water briefly to officially register for the race, they then immediately joined the remainder of the field and swam back to the finish â€“ just part of their training for The English Chanel next August!

This year's top teams were "The Brit Sisters" (Caroline Makin and Phillippa Rickard â€“ 1st All-Female Team in 2:29:31); "bilgy floaters" (Alex Gosman and Christina Thorne â€“ 1st Mixed Team in 2:33:04); and "Miraje" (Martin McGready, Iain Addinell, Rob Marshall and Jeff Howard â€“ 1st All-Male Team in 2:26:33).

Full results overall and by category are published, as well as some photos from the day. The Sri Chinmoy National Capital Swim will return in November 2012.

Despite a forecast of rain and wind threatening to make for tough going for both swimmers and helpers alike, conditions turned out nigh perfect for the 7th swimming of the Sri Chinmoy National Capital Swim, covering the entire 9 km length of Canberra's Lake Burley Griffin.

sri-chinmoy-natcap-swim collage.jpg Water temperature of around 21 degrees allowed more than half the field to swim sans-wetsuit. The morning saw the largest field of solo swimmers in the history of the event, though the teams representation was thin.

The outstanding swim of the day came from 16-year old Oliver Bourne who, though wearing a wetsuit, became the first solo swimmer to break the 2-hour barrier, previously only ever achieved by one relay team comprising 4 excellent swimmers. Oliver's time of 1:56:53 bettered even the teams record of 1:58:30 set by the "Southside Slayers" in 2008. En route to his victory, Oliver set new course best times for the 1st and 4th legs, seeming to get faster as the swim progressed and the prospect of a sub-2 hour time beckoned. So fast was Oliver, that the official timing crew had not yet arrived at the finish, his time having to be phoned through by the catering staff on hand.

First female sans-wetsuit was the impressive Hayley Gosman, surprising even herself with her excellent time of 2:26:50 in this, the longest swim she has ever attempted. Jo Vaile was second in 2:41:00, while 3rd overall in this division was claimed by the event's youngest entrant, and the youngest person ever to swim the length of Lake Burley Griffin – 11-year old Swapnali Yadav, who travelled from India with her mother to participate in the race. Julie Turner was 1st female 50-59 in 3:36:37.

First male sans-wetsuit was Cory Dimmer, from the NSW South Coast, in 2:16:08, with Ross Paterson and Andrew Dawes not far behind. Graeme Wolfenden was happy to have made the decision on the morning to swim without a wetsuit, winning his category of Male 50-59 in 3:00:57.

Meanwhile, in the wetsuit 70+ category, the indefatigable Geoff Llewellyn - who turns 77 in 2 weeks time and has completed this swim every time it has been held - just missed his category course record by 5 seconds, cruising in in 2:50:31. The 65-year span between Geoff and Swapnali Yadav is certainly the largest age difference we've yet seen in this event! Greg Gourley took out the Men 50-59 wetsuit category in 2:36:53; and Melissa Clarke the Women Under 50 wetsuit category in 3:09:57.

A wonderful race developed between the two Open Teams, the "Awesome Foursome" in 2:46:19 just pipping Ric Fitch's team in a sprint to the line. First Mixed Team was the "Barramundi" pairing of Nicolee Martin and Steve Barry in 2:33:00. "Rad's Buoyz", a combination of over 50s primarily runners and cyclists who had nothing to do with Rad other than the inspiration of his name, won the non-existent award for Team with the Best Attitude, and by the way finished in 3:19:41.

No sooner was the finish area packed away than the winds picked up strongly right across the lake and the rain descended in force, to be savoured by all from the comfort of our respective homes.

Full results are published, overall and by age category and division, along with a photo album from the event.

The next Sri Chinmoy swimming event is the Sri Chinmoy Lake Swims - including 5 km, 2.5 km and 500 m options, from Yarralumla Bay on Sunday 20 February 2011.