TURNING 12 AND HEADED STRAIGHT TO THE PUB
YOUNGSTER Zac McInnes won’t be starting this birthday by blowing out any candles. Instead, the keen Geelong swimmer will celebrate turning 12 by tackling today’s annual Lorne Pier to Pub ocean swim as this year’s youngest competitor. Zac, who is more at home in a pool than he is in the ocean, has spent the past few weeks training hard with the Geelong Swim Club and is now ready to take on the 1.2km test. “It’s all bit nerve-racking because it’s my first ocean swim, ” he said. “You have to be a lot stronger when swimming in the ocean because when you take a breath you have to raise yourself a lot higher. “But I’m excited as well to compete because I think I might beat my dad.” Zac will be competing alongside his uncle and his father Brian McInnes, who has participated in the race numerous times over the past 20 years.
Mr McInnes said he wasn’t nervous about Zac tackling the race at such a young age, as his son had always seemed at home in the water.
“He’s been at Geelong Swim Club for 12 months now, and really he’s a better swimmer than I am,” he said.
“He might get a bit of a shock at the start when 200 people are all swimming in the same direction though.
“It’s going to be really exciting to swim with him in the same event.”
Zac is hoping to smash a 16-minute swim family record today when he takes to the water.
“The 16 minutes is my uncle’s record, that’s who I’m trying to beat because he’s a bit better than my dad.”
Joining Zac as one of the youngest competitors is Emma Gregory, who recently celebrated her 12th birthday. On the other end of the scale, 87-year-old Dorothy Dickey and Keith Peter will be the oldest swimmers competing.