Celebrating 10 years since its inception, Port to Pub founder Ceinwen Roberts says she gets jealous of those about to take on the annual open-water swimming event.
However, having the opportunity to stand at the finish line and watch competitors complete the event she started makes it all worthwhile for the avid swimming coach.
“I get so jealous that I can’t swim in it,” Roberts said.
“I put on an event that I would dream of being in, but it is a very emotional day.
“I get to stand at the finish line and greet everybody as they come in.
“I know for many people it’s not just a swim – it literally changes people’s lives.”
The event differs to the Rottnest Channel Swim with a 25km ultramarathon event which sees competitors swim from Leighton Beach up to Cottesloe Beach and back, before heading across the channel to the island.
Roberts said the popularity of the Rottnest Swim led her to begin her own event with a difference.
“I love the Rotto swim but it got so popular that I missed out, and I remember standing there in the pool and we were all kind of upset, when someone said there needs to be another event,” she said.
“So I set about to organise it and it took two years of planning – we needed risk management plans, we needed a course, we needed rules amd all that kind of stuff to apply to all the various stakeholders.
“Initially we got rejected, but then I went to the premier at the time, Colin Barnett, and I just told him about the benefits to health, to the community, to tourism and to the Rottnest community – and he gave it the tick of approval.”
Roberts said she has been proud to watch the event grow from just 500 competitors back in 2016 to 1800 swimmers in this year’s event.
“We have 75 people doing the ultramarathon and they get to ring a big shipping bell when they cross the finish line, which is heard throughout the pub,” she said.
“Then we have 160 solo swimmers and then the remainder is comprised of teams of two, four, six and this year for our 10th anniversary we are doing a special team-of-10 category.”
While the event promotes health and fitness, Roberts said it is also an opportunity to raise funds for a worthy cause.
“We have got lots of teams raising money for various charities and we have got a charity partner in the Perth’s Children Hospital Foundation,” she said.
“We have raised about $150,000 for them so far and in the last 10 years, not including this year, we have raised half a million dollars.
“We also have our naming sponsor Mader Group who have come on and really helped with the time and money that goes into this event – they also have eight teams of their own employees taking part so they really get behind us.”
After this year’s Rottnest Swim was cancelled due to weather conditions, Roberts said she felt a genuine sense of relief when she saw the forecast for Saturday.
“It is always out of your control and it is always at the back of your mind,” she said.
“But I’m so relieved. It is going to be flat and the water is going to be crystal clear.
“So as soon as we start we will be able to see the ripples in the sand the whole way across.”
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