Clubs unite for New Year’s Eve annual event

More than 100 swimmers took to the water in the second edition of the New Year’s Eve swim with three local clubs running another successful event at Middleton Beach.

Albany Surf Life Saving Club, Masters Swimming Albany and Albany Swim Club joined forces to run the event, with a total of 141 competitors taking part, a 50 per cent increase from the inaugural race.

Local swimmers combined with a host of holiday-makers to compete in four distances: 500m, 1.25km, 2.5km and 5km.

Andrew Donaldson was the first swimmer out of the water, taking out the male 5km division in a time of 1hr. 11min. 13.06sec.

Young Albany 13-year-old Angus Bowles was second in 1:19:19.18 and Jason Bresenello filled third with 1:23:20.85.

Albany’s Molly Bowles took out the female 5km race in 1:20:37.89 ahead of Olivia Power and Marcelle Cannon.

Other division winners were Zac Wells (male 2.5km), Dana Neumann (female 2.5km), Harriet Martin (under-12 2.5km), Andrew Brown (male 1.25km), Jenna Brown (female 1.25km), Liesel Freebury (under-12 1.25km), Max Hobson (male 500m), Alexis Mark (female 500m), Oliver Pass (under-12 500m).

Both the 1.25km and 2.5km races attracted 45 competitors, 24 entrants swam the 5km distance and 27 swimmers tackled the 500m event.

The clubs plan to hold the swim annually on New Year’s Eve and swimmers will now prepare for the Albany Harbour Swim and Southern Ocean Classic Mile over the Easter long weekend.