Defending champions Matthew Pelser and Tayla Bruce successfully defended their titles at the Breathe World Ocean Day Swim at the Durban Beach Club on Saturday.
Pelser eased home just under two minutes ahead of Wayne Willetts with Gary Albertyn equalling his third position from last year, while Bruce was once again in a class of her own as she enjoyed a dominant five-minute win over Jenna-May Lally, with event organiser Sarah Ferguson claiming the last step on the podium.
In ideal, calm swimming conditions, both defending champions quickly established their dominance, and without competitors nearby, they were forced to motivate themselves to keep pushing for their respective victories.
The 22-year-old Pelser opted to use the lure of a record time as his motivation.
“I had no-one to actually race from quite early on, so I just had to race myself,” said Pelser after he emerged onto the beach in a time of 56 minutes and 40 seconds. “All I could do was keep pushing myself to beat my time from last year, so I was very happy to get a personal best time.”
“We really could not have asked for better conditions. The whole way it was just smooth, smooth, smooth … and clear water, so it was just so nice.”
This is the fourth annual Breathe World Ocean Day Swim sponsored by FNB and it has grown to almost 500 entries, making it the biggest ocean open-water swim in the country.
Words and Images supplied
