Organised by the Mornington Peninsula Triathlon Club, this 1.2km swim saw competitors swim from Mothers’ Beach to Mills Beach on the picturesque Mornington Peninsula.
The Club’s involvement was the idea of Senior Coach Scott Watters who was looking for unique challenges for the players whilst supporting local community events in the Bayside area.
Earlier this week, Watters announce that the Club’s playing list will participate in an Elite Performance Series as part of their pre-season training programme, with this swim being the first in the Series.
On arriving at Mothers’ Beach, the players were met by the sight of elite and amateur athletes in their neck to toe wetsuits, highlighting the challenge of the task ahead.
Not all in the Saints squad are confident swimmers but everyone was prepared to give it a go. For those who couldn’t complete the distance headed back to shore to tackle an exhausting sand-based workout.
Saints participants were given permission to use flippers, although Clint Jones’s plans to use them were shattered at the starting line as his left flipper snapped in half.
As they set off, it was pre-race Saints favourite Brett Peake who set the pace ahead of Sam Gilbert and Sean Dempster.
Peake, who is at home in the water, led from start to finish crossing the line in 19minutes 44seconds. Jamie Cripps finished 2nd in a time of 21:04, only one second ahead of Sean Dempster.
280 triathletes took part in the swim with Peake finishing 35th overall and was presented with his very own pair of Mornington Lifesaving Club speedos for his efforts.
The St Kilda Football Club would like to thank the Mornington Peninsula Triathlon Club for the invitation and the Morning LSC for their hospitality.
Check out St Kilda Football Club’s Facebook page for photos of the day.
