He was away at a surf carnival for the first event in the Kingscliff Turbine Swim Run Series Life Guard Scott McCartney more than made up with it in race two on January 8.
McCartney lead from virtually start to finish to win the event in and around Cudgen Creek. His time of 17.39 minutes would have been enough to win the first race of the series. First round winner 15-year-old Brandon Copeland completed the course, a 350m flat swim and 4km run in 17.53. However Copeland was not available for the second race.
Triathlete’s Jeff Parker (18.13) and Corrie Rowland (20.14) finished behind McCartney who said he did the race in preparation for a busy end to the surf lifesaving competition season.
“It’s a great course,” the Cudgen Headland Surf Club member said after the event.
“Even though the run is really flat it is quite hard – going around the bend at South Beach was difficult in the long grass. The swim was nice especially on high tide.
“I’m using this as cross training for surf life saving.”
He said this event fell just before the Country titles and the next event, on February 5, would be a good lead-in to the State Titles being held at Kingscliff again this year.
Third-placed Rowland said the event was the perfect warm up to the Robina and Hell Of The West events later in the month.
Almost 60 competitors of all ages took part in the second race, a major fund-raiser for the Cudgen Life Saving Club.
Organiser Cheryl Cain said she was very pleased at how the event had gone.
“The increase in numbers has been a real bonus,” she said.
“There have been a lot of different faces this time too.”
With the numbers up from the mid 40s to the mid 50s, organisers decided to split the event with competitors in the over 18 and over 40s hitting the water first and then the under 17s and under 14s, 15 minutes later.
The junior event was won by 14-year-old Luke Chaffer in a time of 19.22 (which would have placed him third overall) ahead of pool swimmer 15-year-old Nick Myler (20.08) who lead after the swim lead and was eventually hauled in halfway through the run. Eleven-year-old Liam McPhail (20.10), the only one of the trio to compete in the first race, finished in third right on Myler’s shoulder.
For both Chaffer and McPhail, it was a good hit-out before state.
The third and final race will be held on February 5, registration on the day from 6.30am, racing at 7am.
