Nathan Capp wins the Classic Builders Round the Mount 7.5km swim held yesterday. Photo / George Novak
Nathan Capp wins the Classic Builders Round the Mount 7.5km swim held yesterday. Photo / George Novak
Champion endurance swimmer Nathan Capp, 21, needed all his stamina and speed to hold off a quality field to win the Classic Builders Round the Mount race yesterday.
Tauranga's Capp, the New Zealand short course 1500m and 800m freestyle record holder, won the feature men's 7.5km race from Pilot Bayto Rabbit Island and back to the Mount Main Beach finishing in 1:19:54.
Image 1 of 15: Round the Mount swim. Photo by George Novak
Papamoa's Naomi Davoren was first home in the women's feature in 1:39:18 ahead of Tauranga's Sarah Gempton and Sarah Mortimer from Hamilton.
Mount Maunganui lifeguard Perry Farrell defended his men's 4k title while Tirau's Rebecca Kingsford was first home in the women's 4km race.
Rotorua's Rebecca Firth smiles to the crowd as she finishes in fifth place in the 4km race. Photo / George Novak
Choppy seas, tricky currents and sharp rocks did not deter the record number of 233 swimmers that took on the Classic Builders Round the Mount races yesterday.
The field was split between 207 swimmers in the 4km race and another 26 in the elite 7.5km trek further around Rabbit Island before the final section home to the Mount Main Beach.
A nasty hole just as the fatigued swimmers hit the shore line before the agonising uphill soft sand sprint to the finish created extra drama and plenty of entertainment for the large crowd watching.
It was the first 7.5km swim held since 1996 and it was fitting that Bay of Plenty's top swimmer Nathan Capp took out the marquee race. The New Zealand short course 1500m and 800m freestyle record holder finished the testing course in 1:19:54, more than six minutes ahead of Wellington's Ben Campbell-MacDonald (1:25:17) and Nigel Marsden (1:39:57).
Capp found the challenging conditions a real test.
"It is tough. Navigating is tough, trying to swim in a straight line is tough but it makes it easier having a [lifeguard] on a paddle board beside you," Capp said.
"I am definitely not used to this kind of racing but I always enjoy it.
"It was really nice coming out of Pilot Bay but half way around the Mount the chop started to come in and going through the bit between the rocks was horrible. The rest of the way around to Rabbit [Island] was nice but I found coming home was quite hard as the chop picked up again. It is always easy swimming into the beach going with the waves."
Papamoa's Naomi Davoren, 43, won the women's 7.5km race in 1:39:18 ahead of Tauranga's Sarah Gempton and Sarah Mortimer from Hamilton.
Mount Maunganui lifeguards took out the podium places in the men's 4km swim.
Perry Farrell, 19, backed up his Bridge to Bridge win on Saturday by defending his title in 45m.38s, with Kane Sefton, 16, second (47:26) and Hamish Miller, 16, (49:09).
Tirau's Rebecca Kingsford won the women's 4km race in 52:28, ahead of Hamilton's Mikayla Nielsen (53:54) and Taupo's Nicole van der Kay (54:54).
Race organiser Sheryl McLay from Team Shorebreak says the original Round the Mount swim 32 years ago was 7.5km.
"Then the 4km was introduced and 1996 was the last time the 7km was offered," she said.
"We thought we would give it a go this year and if successful we will see if we offer it every year or every second year. It created different interest.
"The field for the 7.5km race was closed off in October to give the swimmers three months to prepare."
