Craig Nortje, Aneekah Styles Return At Jax Sheko Challenge
Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California. For the second year in a row, both Craig Andrew Nortje and Aneekah Styles won the 2.2 km Jax Sheko Challenge, a point-to-point race from Big Wave Bay to Shek O Back Beach.
Race founder Doug Woodring reported from Hong Kong, “It was a great day out today, with over 200 swimmers, 40 runners and 12 paddlers. This was the 11th annual Jax Sheko Challenge, and the biggest one so far.
The residue from the typhoon in the water was blown offshore for great seas, but it remained hot for the runners and paddlers. The swim was won overall by Craig with a time of 31:24 in the 30-39 age group. Second place went to Angus Kelleher of the under 18s in 31:31.
The women’s race was won for the second year in a row, by 14-year-old Aneekah Styles in 32:39 with second place going to former Olympian sprinter, Hannah Wilson at 33:54.
The top Trisolothon team, made of one swimmer, one paddler, and one runner, was won by HKFC1 and a combined time of 2:14:47 by Craig Nortje (swimming), Chan Wan Hei (running) and Andrew Watts (paddling). In the trisolothon, open water swimmers teamed up with a runner and a paddler, all who start at the same time from different locations, and converge on the same finish line together.
The event uses filtered water from Lifesolutions so that no plastic bottles are used at the event, bringing a message of ocean awareness to all of the participants who are ambassadors for the outdoors, ocean and the environment.”
Top 25 Results:
1. Craig Andrew Nortje 30:24
2. Angus Kelleher 30:31
3. Mark Cummings 31:50
4. Jeff Faiola 31:57
5. Alwyn Li 32:03
6. Aneekah Styles 32:39 [first female]
7. Matthieu Barry 32:52
8. Hannah Wilson 32:54 [second female]
9. Fredric Liljestroem 33:00
10. Tobias Chu 33:14
11. York Schilling 33:40
12. Doug Woo 33:52
13. Stuart Tait 34:34
14. Jane Kelsey 34:41 [third female]
15. Ivan Stamenovic 34:45
16. Vasco van der Flier 34:50
17. Marcus Chu 34:58
18. Scott Lake 34:59
19. Scott Burton 34:59
20. Simon Brewster 35:01
21. Christena Pazos 35:01 [fourth female]
22. Farah Master 35:04 [fifth female]
23. Scott Day 35:13
24. Steve Taylor 35:18
25. Adam Phua 35:53
The rest of the results are posted here. Photo credits: Jax Sheko Challenge.
Copyright © 2015 by World Open Water Swimming Association
Southern California native, born 1962, is the creator of the WOWSA Awards, Oceans Seven, Openwaterpedia, Citrus Corps, World Open Water Swimming Association, Daily News of Open Water Swimming, Global Open Water Swimming Conference. He is Chief Executive Officer of KAATSU Global and KAATSU Research Institute. Inductee in the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame (Honor Swimmer, Class of 2001) and Ice Swimming Hall of Fame (Honor Contributor - Media, Class of 2019), recipient of the International Swimming Hall of Fame's Poseidon Award (2016), International Swimming Hall of Fame's Irving Davids-Captain Roger Wheeler Memorial Award (2010), USA Swimming's Glen S. Hummer Award (2007, 2010) and Harvard University's John B. Imrie Award (1984). Served on the FINA Technical Open Water Swimming Committee and as Technical Delegate with the 2011 Special Olympics World Summer Games, and 9-time USA Swimming coaching staff. Note: WOWSA only recommends products or services used or recommended by the community. WOWSA does not receive compensation for links or products mentioned on this site or in blog posts. If it does, it will be indicated clearly on that specific post. See WOWSA's privacy policy for more information.
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