The 2020 edition of Australia’s famed Lorne Pier to Pub open water race took place today, with Junior Pan Pacific Championships multiple gold medalist Lani Pallister topping the podium. With the ocean course running from the Lorne Pier to the foreshore in front of the GMHBA clubhouse, nearly 5,000 competitors, both amateur and professional alike, took to the open water.
Pallister retained her 1.2k junior and open title from 2019 with a victory today, finishing just seconds ahead of runner-up Harriet Brown. Pallister’s open time 11:49 crushed her finishing effort of 12:19 from last year, while Brown hit the time pad in a mark of 11:51 for silver.
On the men’s 1.2k side Hayden Cotter earned his 3rd consecutive gold medal victory hitting the time pad first with a mark of 10:55. That edged out Olympic gold medalist Mack Horton who touched in 10:59 for runner-up. Horton finished in 3rd place last year, so the 23-year-old upgraded his bronze to silver this time around.
Additional notable finishers included the following:
Jorden Merrilees – 4th
Brendon Smith – 10th
David Schlicht – 14th
David McKeon – 18th
Jack Gerrard – 26th
It’s open water, you get extra buoyancy from the ocean water and wetsuits. Plus currents can give you a boost too.
You can hire a new style for $70 . If you decide to buy , it is deducted from the price .