Riding the wave to ocean swim success

BALLARAT athlete Ebony Ebenwaldner has made a splash at the 2024 Lorne Pier to Pub.

The swimmer placed first with a time of 13 minutes, 54 seconds in the 40 to 49 women’s age group of the 1.2-kilometre ocean race.

She was the fifth fastest woman overall to run onto the beach and cross the finish line.

“Pier to Pub is a deep-water start, and having done it for 20-odd years, I have the experience of anticipating the gun and knowing when the start is going to happen,” she said.

“I got a really good start, was out fast, out first, and maintained the lead the whole way. I could feel Lisandra [De Carvalho, second place] on my feet the whole way.

“For me, it was about swimming in a very straight line, from the start line to the turning buoy at the 800-metre mark.

“Lorne being a surf beach, anything can happen, but I was quite lucky to have caught a wave, which Lisandra didn’t catch, which enabled me to get in front, stand up, and run in front.

“There’s often a long run in, but the tide was in, so it was a shorter run, and the waves weren’t as big as they can be on the surf beach.”

This month’s event marked the 20th anniversary of Ebenwaldner winning the Superfish division of the ocean swim in 2004.

“With that in mind, for the last three or four months, I’ve maintained consistent training and hit the water at least twice a week, alongside indoor and on-water rowing,” she said.

“Pier to Pub is one of those races that is suited to the pool swimmer.

“Over Christmas, we were in Warrnambool for three weeks so that allowed me to intensify my training, swimming twice a day, in the pool and the ocean, to get really fit for the race.”

Ebenwaldner said the 40 to 49 age group of the Pier to Pub is an interesting one, where former competitors often return to have another go.

“It’s generally where women start to come back into swimming training after having a family or building their careers, so it’s quite a strong age group,” she said.

Ballarat swimmer, Tom Urquhart, placed third in the 13 to 17 age group.