Rip to River result thrills surf club

OCEAN Grove has celebrated a successful return of its Rip to River fun run, with hundreds of racers and volunteers turning out for the event.

About 700 runners reached the start line with help from about 100 volunteers last week for the Ocean Grove Surf Lifesaving Club’s major annual fundraiser.

OGSLSC was thrilled for the race to return to Ocean Grove’s beach this summer, after the event shifted online in 2020 due to COVID-19.

Administrator Anna McDonald said the strong turnout was a major boost for the club, which relied on the Rip to River event as a key fundraiser to support its important community work at local beaches.

“We had very similar total entry numbers to our December 2019 event,” she said.

“We were happy with that turnout, considering the uncertainty around COVID.

“As expected, we did have some no-shows due to people being required to isolate, both entrants and event volunteers. The event requires a volunteer team of about 100 members on the day, as well as months of preparation.

“The accounting side of things has not yet been finalised, but these entry numbers generally equate to approximately $20,000 profit for the club, all of which goes towards our core business of keeping the beach safe.

“OGSLSC would like to thank our major sponsor RT Edgar Bellarine, and Hotondo Homes who sponsor the Ripper Nipper race.”

Strong winds from the south-east challenged organisers but helped runners as it provided a tail wind for large parts of the coastal course, resulting in searing finishing times for winners.

Harry Smithers was first across the line in the 10km event to win the open male category in 32:01 minutes, ahead of multiple-time champion Nick Wightman in second.

Amy Carrig won the female open run, finishing in 35:31.

A pair of 16-year-olds took out the 5km races, with Tyler Murphy (17:35) and Niamh Partridge (21:29) winning their respective divisions.

The event also featured a 10km walk and 1.4km Ripper Nipper races broken into age groups.