Entries for the 2017 Cole Classic are open

Entries are now open for the 2017 Cole Classic, to be held on Sunday 5 February, and you can save $10 by getting in early (or save $20 if you usually leave it till the last week!).

Traditionally one of the more expensive swims on the calendar, the organisers reduced the entry fees last season following swimmer backlash.

This year’s pricing is very reasonable, with one caveat, you need to register early.

1km and 2km swims

With run-swim combo’s now available, you need an algebra degree to decipher the pricing table (see below), but the gist of it for pure swimmers is this: an adult 1km swim will cost you $35 (early bird) and $45 (standard), and a 2km swim will cost you $45 and $55 respectively.

Want to swim both distances? A 1km/2km combo will cost you $65/$85 – that’s $32.50 or $42.50 per swim (just so you don’t have to work it out yourself).

Train for the Cole Classic with OceanFit

We’ll give you the confidence you need to reach your Cole Classic goal distance. Join us in a clinic on Bondi Beach and/or follow one of our popular swim training plans online.

• Ocean swimming clinics
• 1km ‘Have A Go’ training challenge
• 2km ‘Up The Ante’ training challenge

While we’re talking pricing… I still haven’t worked out why events charge more for the longer distances than the short, it is truly bizarre. It can’t be a time thing, because some swimmers complete the longer distances faster than some complete the shorter. For most, the challenge of each distance they enter is equal, and event costs are spread across the whole event time – not just the swim time. I think someone once decided it was a good idea, and everyone’s been doing it ever since, but I digress. (One event that does get this right is the Sydney Skinny – it’s a flat $45 fee to swim.)

Take on the 5km

The 5km marathon swim from Shelly Beach to Freshwater and back to Manly has returned this year ($65/$75), and it will be hugely popular. In our 2017 Ocean Swims Surve, it shone through as an emerging event with ocean swimmers looking for a new challenge.

There were some timing issues in last year’s 5km swim, and word on the street is that if you had issues last year you can receive a discount on this year’s entry – check with the organisers.

Places are very limited for the 5km swim, so get your entry together quickly so you don’t miss out.

Registration timing vs price

You have until 13 December to get early bird pricing, and then till 24 January to pay the standard entry fee. Don’t leave it until the week before, or you’ll get stung an extra $10 on your entry – that’s nearly two post-swim drinks at the Steyne pub.

You won’t regret it

The Cole Classic is, without doubt, a swim you need to tick off your bucket list.

The course from the sheltered Shelly Beach, within the Cabbage Tree marine reserve, to the iconic surfing reserve of Manly Beach, is just spectacular – you won’t want to lift your head up to breathe, it’s that good.

With kids swims as well, this event is one for the whole family.

To read more about the event, and to register, check out our Cole Classic event listing.

2017 Cole Classic entry fees