Ready to Rip: Ocean Grove SLSC bracing for Rip to River turnout

OCEAN Grove Surf Life Saving Club’s biggest event of the year is gearing up for another bumper turnout at its 44th Rip to River Classic.

Race organiser and club administrator Anna McDonald said the lead-up to the annual beach running event was always exciting.

“We’re really excited for this year’s event, despite not knowing for sure what the weather forecast is yet, but we’re still a few days out.

“We’re always prepared for a last-minute scramble of entrants, even on race day itself, but numbers are looking strong at the moment.”

The 2023 edition of the Rip to River will follow a similar format to previous years, headlined by its 10km run from the Point Lonsdale Lighthouse to Ocean Grove SLSC, won by Nick Wightman and Sara Coulter last year.

Other events for this year’s Rip to River include the 10-kilometre walk, the five-kilometre run and the 1,400-metre Ripper Nipper Run.

The 2022 event was the club’s first running of the Rip to River in three years.

Ms McDonald said it was a welcome sight to see the runners return to the race a year ago.

“It was an intense return to the event last year, but the community was extremely happy to be doing it again, we’ve done it for over 40 years, so it was a good feeling to have it back and something the club really needed.

“The volunteers enjoyed having it back as well, we’ve done it so many times it ran like clockwork.

“At this point the Ocean Grove SLSC events team is more like a well-oiled machine to be honest.”

All funds raised from the event will be diverted into back into the club’s programs and equipment for Nippers and senior club representatives.

To register for this year’s Rip to River, head to oceangroveslsc.asn.au/events/rip-to-river/