Weather gets the all clear as Port to Pub swim celebrates 10 years
Ceinwen Roberts, founder of Port to Pub, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary, says she is jealous of those who will participate in the annual open water swimming event.
But having the opportunity to stand at the finish line and watch competitors complete the race they started makes it all worth it for an aspiring swim coach.
“I’m so jealous I can’t swim in it,” Roberts said.
“I staged an event that I dreamed of being in, but it is a very emotional day.
“I will stand at the finish line and greet everyone who comes.
“I know for a lot of people it’s not just swimming; it’s literally changing people’s lives.”
The event is a 25km ultramarathon event, unlike the Rottnest Channel Swim, in which competitors swim from Leighton Beach to Cottesloe Beach and back before heading across the channel to the island.
Roberts said Rottnest Swim’s popularity led him to start his own event in a different way.
“I love swimming Rotto but it became so popular that I missed it and I remember standing there in the pool and we were all upset when someone said there had to be another event,” he said.
“So I set about organizing this and it took two years of planning, we needed risk management plans, we needed a course, we needed rules to apply to all the various stakeholders and that sort of thing.
“We were initially rejected, but then I went to then prime minister Colin Barnett and told him about the benefits to health, society, tourism and the Rottnest community and he gave the nod.”
Roberts said he was proud to watch the event grow from just 500 competitors in 2016 to 1,800 swimmers at this year’s event.
“We have 75 people taking part in the ultramarathon run and when they cross the finish line they ring a big transport bell which can be heard all around the bar,” he said.
“Then we have 160 solo swimmers and the rest are teams of two, four, six people and this year for our 10th anniversary we are organizing a special 10-person team category.”
While the event promotes health and wellness, Roberts said it’s also an opportunity to raise funds for a worthy cause.
“We have a number of teams raising money for various charities and we have a charity partner in the Perth Children’s Hospital Foundation,” he said.
“We’ve raised about $150,000 for them so far, and we’ve raised half a million dollars in the last 10 years, excluding this year.
“We also have our title sponsor, Mader Group, come out and really help with the time and money spent on this event – there are also eight teams of their own people taking part, so they are really behind us.”
After this year’s Rottnest Swim was canceled due to weather conditions, Roberts said he felt a real sense of relief when he saw the forecast for Saturday.
“It’s always out of your control and it’s always in the back of your mind,” he said.
“But I’m so relieved. The weather will be flat and the water will be crystal clear.”
“So as soon as we start, we will be able to see the waves on the sand all the way.”
