BIG SPLASH – Pier to Pub and Surf Coast Times Jim Wall Iron Man on this weekend

TWO of Australia’s longest-running summer sports events will again be staged right here on the Surf Coast this weekend.

The Lorne Pier to Pub will mark its 39th year on Saturday January 12, while the Surf Coast Times Jim Wall Iron Man, which has been running since 1962, will again take place in and out of the water at Torquay surf beach on Sunday January 13.

Another sold-out line-up of about 5,000 swimmers will take part in this year’s Pier to Pub, which is the largest ocean swim event in the world. Starting at the pier at Point Grey, competitors swim the 1.2-kilometre course back to the sand and run to the finish line in front of the clubhouse of the Lorne SLSC, whose volunteers organise and run the event.

The Pier to Pub has a highly distinguished winners’ list, with multiple Olympians, local stars, interstate and International swimmers having won the prestigious “Superfish” open category.

Hayden Cotter (who beat Olympic gold medallist Mack Horton by only five seconds) and Lani Pallister are the respective male and female defending champions, but stiff competition can be expected from multiple winners Sam Sheppard (seven times) and Harriet Brown (six times). The Pier to Pub follows tomorrow’s (Friday’s) Lorne Mountain to Surf – an eight kilometre fun run along a course through the hills of Lorne and the Great Ocean Road.

Another strong field from across Australia is expected for the Surf Coast Times Jim Wall Iron Man, which is run by Torquay SLSC and is Australia’s oldest ironman race.

Matt Bevilacqua and Naomi Scott are the defending champions from 2018.

This year’s swim-board-ski event will be held at the conclusion of the Craft Carnival, a Life Saving Victoria senior carnival with multiple disciplines in multiple categories for men and women.

The Jim Wall Iron Man has previously been part of the “Summer of Surf” sports calendar of surf events and run as a round of the Nutri-Grain Ironman Series.

The Pier to Pub will be held in Lorne on Saturday from 12.30pm. For more information, head to lornesurfclub.com.au.

The Surf Coast Times Jim Wall Iron Man will be held in Torquay on Sunday from noon.

For more information, head to torquayslsc.com.au.