Four teams from Sunset Beach Lifeguard Service competed in the 90 Mile Classic IRB (Inflatable Rescue Boat) Challenge. They took out all of the major prices, Overall Winner, Fastest Women’s crew and Top Club.
The 90 Mile Classic IRB Challenge is the endurance event for IRB racing. The race starts at Scott’s Point at the top of 90 Mile Beach, finishing at Ahipara at the bottom. The crew’s consisting of three lifeguards, leave Scott’s point travelling south, parallel to the shore and within the surf break, completing 4 challenges along the way.
The first challenge is to go around Matapia Island, but due to large surf on the day this challenge was cancelled and the competitors travelled to the 2nd Challenge. Here they carry the IRB’s across The Bluff, approximately 250 metres. They also have to re fuel.
Travelling 30km to the third challenge, two crew members ran 2km’s up Huketere Hill. The third member refuels. They then travel 15km to the fourth challenge, where they take the motor off the boat and carry round a flag 100m up the beach, back to the boat, re fuelling and then travelling 15km to the finish.
Results:
1st – Shane Edwards, Mark Edwards and Hogan Shrimpton – Time 2:40:53
3rd – Bryce Nichol, Lewis Powell, Leith McGill – Sponsored by 0800 Bricky – Time 2:44:56
11th – Finbar Culley, Anton Baptist, Jacob Waldegrave – Time 3:01:52
18th – Taylor Shrimpton, Robbie Shrimpton, Grace Poole – Time 3:18:09 (Fastest Women’s Crew)
Top 10 Club Points
Sunset 346, Papmoa 199, Waimarama 149, Bethells Beach 144, Paekakariki 119, Muriwai 109, NPOB 102, Worser Bay 76, Palmerston North 73, Omaha 50.
Sunset Beach also hosted a crew from Australia, North Burleigh, who had hosted Sunset when they competed at the Australian IRB Nationals earlier in the year. They did really well for their first attempt at the challenge, coming 4th in a time of 2:47:0
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