Big Swim

Vanuatu abounds in fitness fanatics. I don’t know whether that is because they flock to this place, or whether living in Vanuatu brings out the inner fitness freak in us all. I suppose there aren’t exactly too many cinemas, theatres or galleries to while away a lazy afternoon in, nor does it ever get cold enough to justify piling on a few winter-warming kilos. Besides, there are so many great outdoorsy pursuits at our finger tips that there really is no excuse not to don a sweat band, grab a drink bottle and get amongst it.

Two of the big events on the Port Vila sporting calendar are the Vanuatu Half-Marathon (21 kms) and the Vanuatu Ocean Swim (3.2 kms). Considering I’d rather eat 21 kms of bitumen than run it, I figured I’d give the Ocean Swim a crack.

The event is organised by a crew called Pacific Swims and they hold similar swims in many different Pacific islands over the course of the year. A sizeable crowd flies in from around the region to compete in the Vanuatu event and many enthusiastic locals also like to join in the fun.

It is a 3.2 km course that runs from the harbour front, out across the deep dark shipping channel, clock-wise around Iririki Island, dodging yachts as you go and then back to the harbour where glory and a slice of pamplemousse awaits.

So at 6.30 am last Saturday morning we all assembled down at the waterfront - the fit and the foolhardy. I fell into the latter bracket, having not actually attempted the swim previously and feeling far from certain that I would make it back to shore without para-medic assistance.

There were about 100 competitors in total and about as many spectators. These were my swimming buddies – game faces ready.

A whistle blew and with a foamy thrash of water, we were off. It wasn’t long before the pack thinned out and I found myself keeping pace with a conservative crew, somewhere around the middle to end of the bunch. I was a bit nervous to begin with and kept the ‘rescue kayaks’ in sight for the first one or so kilometres, but by the time I had reached the far side of the island and the half-way mark, I knew it was all going to be ok.

I would like to say I powered home, but that would be a lie. My race number was 91, which was only slightly further down the line than the place I finally came....

Here I am clambering out of the water, looking a bit worse for wear...

But! I made it. Yeah!!

Romain is currently in training (training? pffft) for the Half-Marathon which will be run at the end of July to coincide with Vanuatu’s 30th Anniversary of Independence. This is the track.

I think it is a very thoughtful touch that the organisers have arranged cocktail stands at regular intervals.