Super Sid masters choppy sea course

By Rob Hay
Many of Sid Salek's peers would struggle to walk 9.5 km let alone swim the distance through choppy seas.
But that's exactly what the Mount Maunganui 75-year-old did on Friday when he took part in the Motiti to Mainland Swim Challenge.
He finished the swim despite difficult conditions and said he was pleased with his time of 3 hrs 43mins - he had aimed to complete it in under four hours.
While the feat may seem amazing to some, it is nothing out of the ordinary for Mr Salek who has a long history of competitive long-distance swimming.
Last year, he won six titles and set three records at the National Masters Swimming Championships.
He has broken 60 records since he first began competing in the Masters in 1982 and next week he is off to compete in the Cambridge long course meet as part of his build up to the World Masters Swimming Championships in San Francisco in August.
He was particularly happy with his time on Friday considering the difficult ocean conditions.
"It was a bit lumpy out there. I'm not phased by lumpy water but it takes it out of you," he said.
Each of the competitors had a kayaker accompanying them for safety and to offer words of encouragement.
This proved beneficial for Mr Salek who said he had trouble navigating in the overcast conditions.
"I can navigate when there is sun because you have it on one side of your face and you keep it there but, because it was overcast, I couldn't tell where I was bloody going."
He said he doesn't think too much when he was swimming - rather he counts his strokes so he can track his progress.
"I know that each stroke is about a metre so I count all my strokes in blocks of 100."
Mr Salek, who was also a keen glider and has just taken up kayaking, joked that he still competed to keep the younger generations on their toes.
"I'm trying to raise the bar as high as I can. They've got to have some targets to beat," he said.
The first person home on Friday in a time of 2 hrs 45mins was Dennis Toy, and he was full of praise for Mr Salek.
"Sid's awesome. He's an inspiration to a lot of people, that's why we call him Super Sid."
Mr Toy said he thinks of Sid when he begins to tire and it gives him the energy to battle on.
He said he plans to follow the veteran's lead and compete in the Masters Games when he is older. "I'm going to beat all of Sid's records when I'm 75," he said.