Record day at Cowes Classic

The Bass Coast ‘Summer Series of Aquathons’ finished on a great note last Saturday with record entries in both the Little Penguin Dash and the 31st Cowes Classic, which was the final leg of the Bass Coast Series.

This means that all four Aquathons – the Cape Paterson Aquathon, the San Remo Channel Challenge, the Little Penguin Dash for Juniors (U/15) and the Cowes Classic – all set new records for the number of competitors entered into each event.

Last Saturday again saw ideal conditions and at 10.30am there were 140 youngsters lined up to participate in the increasingly popular Little Penguin Dash (LPD) for seven to 14-year-old Juniors.

The previous best number was 108 last year and this event has seen increased entries in each of the five years it’s been held.

The LPD is not conducted as a race, with times not recorded, and no prizes for placegetters, but the emphasis is on participation and ‘having a go’. Every youngster that makes it to the finish line receives a medallion for having finished the event.

Then later, when the competitors in the 31st edition of the Cowes Classic lined up at the start at 2pm, it was very satisfying for the organisers from the Phillip Island Football Netball Club (PIFNC) and the Woolamai Beach Surf Life Saving Club (WBSLSC) to note the 393 competitors who entered exceeded the previous record by 80 – a terrific result for all involved.

“The highlight of the racing was undoubtedly seeing top Australian triathlete, Callum McClusky, make a clean sweep of all three Bass Coast events, and we wish him well in his quest to represent Australia at the Paris Olympics,” said Ron Nicholson from the organising committee.

“There was also an impressive effort by local competitor, Justin Tilley, who is in the O/40 Masters category, as he recorded the second fastest time of all competitors in the Classic.

“Another local, Zoe Adams, was first home in both the Senior Open and Local Female categories while local girl, Emma Moore also won both of the O/50 Veteran Female categories.

“For the third time this summer we saw local O/40 competitors Justin Tilley, Mark Rowe and Stephen Noble finish 1st, 2nd and 3rd in both the Open and Local O/40 categories,” Ron said.

“Local boy, Callum McLeod, again did well to push a Victorian Institute of Sport competitor in the Open Junior Male section and win the Local Junior Male category.”

There was a strong local contingent in the race, as well some high profile visitors, including ABC TV Breakfast host Michael Rowland, who described himself as a “pretty happy” veteran, posting his results from the Cowes Classic on his Instagram page to his 41,5000 followers. 

Series

The Cowes Classic was the third and final leg of the Bass Coast Series and the cheques for each of the twenty category winners were presented along with the prizes for Saturday’s event.

The closest finish was in the Veteran Local Male category where Kris Harris and Jim Corbett entered the final leg all square on points and in the deciding race only 14.5 seconds separated them over their 25-minute race.

The Bass Coast Series was expanded this year to include a category for competitors for those competitors over 60 years of age (Super Veterans) and it has been a popular concept which is definitely one of the reasons for the increased numbers at each event this year.

“There is a great deal of satisfaction for those who enter and finish in all three events each summer and the Bass Coast Series is fully sponsored by the Bass Coast Shire who were represented at the presentations by Cr Rochelle Halstead, the Deputy Mayor,” Ron said.

“It is also an enjoyable challenge for the local competitors to take on the visiting contingent and this year we congratulate the four locals who won both the Open and Local sections of the Bass Coast Series.

“It has been a fantastic summer of events for the organisers from WBSLSC, Cape Paterson SLSC and the PIFNC as well as for the competitors who travel from far and wide to participate in these events which bring many strands of the local community together,” said Ron.

“We all hope to see even bigger numbers at the events in 2025.

“The organisers also wish to thank the many sponsors and organisations who make these events possible.

“It is a big job, and an expensive one, to put these events together and without the support from the local community they may not be possible.”

Bass Coast Series Results

Open Senior Male: Callum McClusky
Open Senior Female: Mia Foster
Local Senior Male: Andre Hetebrueg
Local Senior Female: Tiarnie Ellingworth

Open Junior Male: Callum McLeod
Open Junior Female:  Erin Maloney
Local Junior Male: Callum McLeod
Local Junior Female: Abbey Clarke

Open Masters O/40 Male: Justin Tilley 
Open Masters O/40 Female: Sarah Smith
Local Masters O/40 Male: Justin Tilley
Local Masters O/40 Female: Sarah Smith

Open Veteran O/50 Male: Aurel Wachter
Open Veteran O/50 Female: Emma Moore
Local Veteran O/50 Male: Kris Harris
Local Veteran O/50 Female: Emma Moore

Open Super Veteran Male: Mark Knight
Open Super Veteran Female: Janice Stephens
Local Super Veteran Male: Bill Yusko
Local Super Veteran Female: Carol Brewster