2006 Lowestoft Pier to Pier
Last Sunday (13th August) I took part in the Lowestoft Pier to Pier race. A swimming event that has been held for 6 years and one that I've wanted to partake in for a number of years, but was never able to find out how to get an entry.
This year the event attracted 47 competitors of mixed ability. Some were there purely to partake, some like myself were there curious to see how quick we could be and some others just looked way too fast. Some of us were in wetsuits but the majority were in normal swimming costumes and the seriously quick were in speedo skin suits that you see the likes of Ian Thorpe wear at the Olympics. We all had to line up on the beach near to the South Pier (which is more of a breakwater than a pier) run into the sea and then swim south along the coast round the end of the Claremont Pier upto the beach and then run up the beach to the finish line. The shortest route is about 900m, the fastest route is to go further out and get into the current, however get it wrong and you can find yourself swimming against eddy currents. The locals clearly had an advantage.
Oh, did I mention that there was a bit of chop? Well, there was and it meant that once in the water I couldn't see any other swimmer. I got a good start and was one of the first into the water. I tried to get a long way out to avoid the eddies and to get into the current. I was aware of the safety kayakers and was even beginning to think that perhaps I alone had made full advantage of the current. For a while the Claremont pier seems to get no closer until you seem to quickly whip round the end. Then all of a sudden you find the wave around you dump you onto the beach. In foggy goggles you can see that there's no one else around you. A huge cheer from the crowd lining the route to the finish line and you sprint your way up the beach not really wanting to notice the footprints in the sand ahead of you.
Once you get across the line and are greeted by other competitors you realise you've been misleading yourself.
Overall I finished 16th in a time of 17m48s. The winner, one Sam Heard of City of Norwich Swimming Club managed it in 11m57s. When he went up to get his trophy he was wearing a rather shinny 'GB Swimming Squad' T-shirt.
This was a great, fun little event that I can highly recommend.
