Swim race at Bay beaches
Over 800 swimmers will converge on the Bay of Islands shoreline on March 18 to take part in the Bay of Islands Classic ocean swim.
The annual event will showcase a 3.3km ‘I’m Going Long’ event from Russell to Paihia as part of the New Zealand Ocean Swim Series. For kids aged between seven and 12, there is the 200m ‘Banana Boat OceanKids’ swim as well as an open ‘Give it a Go’ 300m swim off Paihia Beach.
Traditionally the Bay of Islands Classic has been held in November or December, however this year it will be the penulti- mate event in the series ahead of the Auckland King of the Bays swim in April.
Event director Scott Rice says the change was made to fit in with the other six events in the series and a busy sporting calendar around the country.
‘‘The Bay of Islands Classic is always a popular event among swimmers, so we are excited to see if the change results in further growth for this event.’’
The event regularly attracts around 2500 participants and their supporters. Dunedin’s Stefannie Gillespie is the favourite to win the women’s 3.3km swim at the Bay of Islands event. She is currently second on the series leaderboard.
The event will also see an additional six swimmers named in the Jetstar Super Swim Squad. The squad is made up from the fastest boys and girls in three age groups (7-8, 9-10 and 11-12) from the Banana Boat OceanKids events. For more information visit: www.oceanswim.co.nz