BALLARAT athlete Ebony Ebenwaldner has made a splash at the 2024 Lorne Pier to Pub.<\/p>\n
The swimmer placed first with a time of 13 minutes, 54 seconds in the 40 to 49 women\u2019s age group of the 1.2-kilometre ocean race.<\/p>\n
She was the fifth fastest woman overall to run onto the beach and cross the finish line.<\/p>\n
\u201cPier 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,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor me, it was about swimming in a very straight line, from the start line to the turning buoy at the 800-metre mark.<\/p>\n
\u201cLorne being a surf beach, anything can happen, but I was quite lucky to have caught a wave, which Lisandra didn\u2019t catch, which enabled me to get in front, stand up, and run in front.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s often a long run in, but the tide was in, so it was a shorter run, and the waves weren\u2019t as big as they can be on the surf beach.\u201d<\/p>\n
This month\u2019s event marked the 20th anniversary of Ebenwaldner winning the Superfish division of the ocean swim in 2004.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith that in mind, for the last three or four months, I\u2019ve maintained consistent training and hit the water at least twice a week, alongside indoor and on-water rowing,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cPier to Pub is one of those races that is suited to the pool swimmer.<\/p>\n
\u201cOver 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s generally where women start to come back into swimming training after having a family or building their careers, so it\u2019s quite a strong age group,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Ballarat swimmer, Tom Urquhart, placed third in the 13 to 17 age group.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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\u2019s age group of the 1.2-kilometre ocean race. She was the fifth fastest woman overall to run onto the beach and cross the […]<\/p>\n