Swimming between the bridges

Led by veteran swimmers Margie Chiet and Tony Fantham, some of the Bridge to Bridge competitors leave the Whanganui River after a training session. PICTURE / PAUL BROOKS

Competing in the Bridge to Bridge swim is a lot more than the exercise.
"A lot of it for me is the love of the open water," says Margie Chiet, who, at 71, is a Bridge to Bridge veteran. "But I have total respect for our river." She began racing between the bridges in 1997.

"I love being with the other swimmers," says 70-year-old Paddy Gallagher. "We communicate during the year, then the Bridge to Bridge comes up. Sometimes I think I won't do it, but everyone else is ... so I decide to swim."

There was a time when pollution made the swim dangerous, so it went into hiatus from 1967 until 1996, when pressure was put on the Council to reopen the river to swimmers.
"When it was reinstated, that was big," says Margie.

Nine swimmers turned up for training on Sunday, meeting at the Whanganui Multisport Club in Anzac Parade.
"What we're trying to do is keep it going and build it back up again," says Paddy. "The swim is open to everyone — you don't have to be a member of the Multisport Club."
Paddy has been a member, Margie is on the committee and 80-year-old Tony Fantham, a regular swimmer, has also been a committee member.

Markers on the opposite bank are measurements from the Union Boat Club — 1km, 2km or the full length of 3.2km.
The direction of the tide determines when they train, but since they swim in both directions, one way is tougher than the other. They usually swim from the ramp below the club to the rail bridge and back. A portable sign on the bank warns other users that there are swimmers in the water.
The Bridge to Bridge competition is in a downstream direction.

"What brought me back to open water was when I had my knee joints replaced," says Margie. "It was a challenge to get in the water.
"We like coming here when it's just on full tide so we get a bit of help going up."
The group members haven't always been swimmers, with most taking up the sport in their 40s.
"I love being in the river ... there's something about the river but I don't really know what it is," says Tony Fantham, the man who started the Affco Imlay Triathlon in 1981 and has competed ever since.
The camaraderie is a big part of the Bridge to Bridge.
"We look after each other," says Margie.

They all agree that everyone should learn to swim.
For Michelle Nevil, a much younger competitor, this year will be her first Bridge to Bridge swim.
"I started swimming in the river this year. It was a goal of mine to get out of the pool and into open water. It was a challenge, I guess. I just love it now."

The 2020 Bridge to Bridge Swim is on Saturday, March 28 with a 2pm start, registration from 12.30. Entry forms are on the Whanganui Multisport Club website or by emailing whanganuimultisport@gmail.com
The race has two distances — 3km and 1km.