Pier to Pub
Encyclopedia
The Lorne Pier to Pub is an annual, 1.2-km open water swimming race held in January at Lorne
, a town located on the Great Ocean Road
in Victoria
, Australia
. It began in the 1970s, when members of the Lorne Surf Life Saving Club dared each other to dive from the pier, swim through Louttit Bay and finish by body-surfing the waves onto the Lorne foreshore, before attending the Lorne Pub.
The race today consists of the same process. Contestants must register for a ballot to take part. Swimmers times are recorded at the finish line, and published in the Herald Sun
Newspaper the next morning. The race is completed on average in 22 minutes, but the quickest race time is 10 minutes, 30 seconds.
The race attracts up to 4,000 competitors, and in 1998, it entered the Guinness Book of Records, with 3071 swimmers, making it the world’s largest open water swim. The race is organised by the Lorne Surf Life Saving Club with major partner Nib
, and supported by the Rotary Club of Highton. Proceeds from the race go to the Lorne Surf Life Saving Club.
Lorne, Victoria
Lorne is a seaside town on Louttit Bay in Victoria, Australia. It is situated about the Erskine River and is a popular destination on the Great Ocean Road tourist route...
, a town located on the Great Ocean Road
Great Ocean Road
The Great Ocean Road is a stretch of road along the south-eastern coast of Australia between the Victorian cities of Torquay and Warrnambool. The road was built by returned soldiers between 1919 and 1932, and is the world's largest war memorial; dedicated to casualties of World War I...
in Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. It began in the 1970s, when members of the Lorne Surf Life Saving Club dared each other to dive from the pier, swim through Louttit Bay and finish by body-surfing the waves onto the Lorne foreshore, before attending the Lorne Pub.
The race today consists of the same process. Contestants must register for a ballot to take part. Swimmers times are recorded at the finish line, and published in the Herald Sun
Herald Sun
The Herald Sun is a morning tabloid newspaper based in Melbourne, Australia. It is published by The Herald and Weekly Times, a subsidiary of News Limited, itself a subsidiary of News Corporation. It is available for purchase throughout Melbourne, Regional Victoria, Tasmania, the Australian Capital...
Newspaper the next morning. The race is completed on average in 22 minutes, but the quickest race time is 10 minutes, 30 seconds.
The race attracts up to 4,000 competitors, and in 1998, it entered the Guinness Book of Records, with 3071 swimmers, making it the world’s largest open water swim. The race is organised by the Lorne Surf Life Saving Club with major partner Nib
Nib health funds
nib health funds is an Australian health insurance company. It is Australia's fifth largest private health insurer providing cover to more than 700,000 people nationwide.-History:...
, and supported by the Rotary Club of Highton. Proceeds from the race go to the Lorne Surf Life Saving Club.
Previous winners
- Daniel KowalskiDaniel KowalskiDaniel Steven Kowalski is a former Australian middle- and long-distance swimmer specialising in freestyle events. He competed in the Olympic Games in 200 m, 400 m and 1,500 m individual freestyle events and in the 4x200 m freestyle relay...
, four-time Olympic medalist, won in 1996 and 2007. - Kieren PerkinsKieren PerkinsKieren John Perkins OAM , is a former Australian professional swimmer. One of the world's best-ever long-distance swimmers, he won two Olympic gold medals in 1992 and 1996 in the 1500-metre freestyle, and a silver medal in 2000....
, two-time Olympic gold medalist and former world-record holder in the 1,500-m freestyle.