WOW Challenge Open Water Championships
Challenge Yourself! – Sunday 5th March 2023
1.2km, 2.5km, 5km and 10km swims
Registration
Swim Courses
Wave Times
Results (NEW)
Media Gallery
EVENT DAY INFORMATION
Please click below sections for further WOW Challenge Open Water Championships information
ARRIVAL
On arriving at the beach, please proceed directly to the Registration desk. Here you will be issued with your cap, and an event t-shirt, and then your timing band.
BAG DROP
In accordance with our COVID Safety Plan, there is no bag drop facility available at this year’s event. You are advised not to bring any valuables to the beach with you. Any such items are left on the beach at your own risk. You are also requested not to leave any personal items on the club grounds. Please maintain safe social distancing on the beach, including between your bag and others.
EVENT TIMING
1.2km Event starts will be in 2 mass starts, male identifying and female identifying.
10km events will be divided into Wetsuits and Non-Wetsuit divisions with swimmers starting, within a nominated time window, in groups of 5 at 10 second intervals.
Starts will only be possible at the nominated time for your particular event.
5km & 2.5km events will be rolling starts within a nominated time window, in groups of 5 at 1 second intervals. Starts will only be possible at the nominated time for your particular event.
Start and Finish times will be recorded via the Tomato Timing band system supplied on the day, and publish as soon as possible after the event is completed.
MARSHALLING
It is important to observe your allocated start window and every effort will be made to get everyone into the water punctually.
10km, 5km, and 2.5km starts will be in groups of 5 at 10 second intervals. 1.2km evets will be in mass starts.
Start times will be taken from the supplied timing band as you cross the electronic start line. This event is a beach start only. Exceptions may be requested in writing to registrations@williamstownslsc.org.au
A safety briefing will be available on the WOW Challenge website from 5pm on Wednesday February 22. It is your responsibility to view this briefing and familiarise yourself with the course. Live briefings will not be available on the day.
FEEDING STATION
A feeding platform will be in place in the water for those requiring mid-swim nutrition. It will be supervised only – no official feeding assistance will be offered to competitors.
Please secure your nutrition to the platform in a mesh bag, clearly marked with your name. Anyone observed interfering with, moving, or removing articles belonging to another competitor, will be requested to leave the water immediately. A DSQ or DNF may be recorded.
FINISH LINE
You must pass under the FINISH arch on the beach to obtain a race time. Please then remove your timing band and place it in one of the bins supplied.
RACE BRIEFING
The WSLSC WOW Challenge will be held on 5th March 2023.
The date is set for the biggest swim challenge in Melbourne this summer – Sunday 5th March 2023 at Williamstown.
The Williamstown Open Water Championship – “The WOW Challenge” is Victoria’s world class, championship distance, open water swim event. The WOW Challenge is for everyone – champions, weekend warriors, kids, multiclass, fast, slow, young and old!
Past winners at Williamstown include 2015 World Champion Jordan Wilimovsky, Team USA’s Katy Campbell, Australian Dolphin Sam Sheppard and Brazilian Olympian Lisandra De Carvalho.
The WOW Challenge is swum at Williamstown Beach on our famous championship 2.5Km course. This year we have a beach start, you will swim in an anti-clockwise direction. Your first turn will take you around the Rock Groyne and over The Crystals, a local diving and snorkelling site. A left turn close to the boat harbour takes you out into deeper water and after another left turn, you’ll head East onto the legendary WOW Back Straight. With a final left turn, swimmers head back to the beach area, feeding station or finish arch on the sand.
Weather conditions may see the course reversed back into a clockwise direction. We want you to have any wind behind you on the back straight.
The event is conducted by the Williamstown Swimming and Life Saving Club. Swimmers of all ages and abilities will have the opportunity to choose from a range of swim distances.
The WOW Challenge provides the chance to swim with the best swimmers from around the world, is part of the Great Victorian Swim Series and raises funds for not-for-profit organisations.
All distances, wetsuits are permitted without restriction. Supplied event caps are compulsory. Fluro vests may be worn by choice. No other buoyancy or assistance tools may be used.
WOW Enquiries
WOW Volunteers
We welcome and encourage all WSLSC members to volunteer to help out on the day and or before, please follow this link to sign up for volunteer duty, or email us for more information.
