Teens triumph at Dean Mercer Dash

Warilla-Barrack Point Surf Life Saving Club has dominated final rankings in the second annual Dean Mercer Dash, with two of their athletes topping their age categories and recording overall wins.

Officials said 42 athletes had signed up for the event, held on Sunday, October 30.

The Dash, hosted by Thirroul Surf Life Saving Club, is a 5km board paddle endurance race, held in honour of SLS and Thirroul SLSC Life Member and two-time national Ironman champion, Dean Mercer, who died in 2017 at the age of 47 after suffering a heart attack.

In the Dash, competitors complete two laps of an ocean course that stretches from Thirroul Beach to Sandon Point and back. Race categories included U14, U15, U17, Opens, Masters (30-49 years) and Masters (50+).

Among Warilla-Barrack Point Surf Life Saving Club's impressive performances were that of Jayden Beaumont, 15, who won the U17 Boys with a time of 35 minutes and 20 seconds, and Claire Spicknall, 15, who won the U17 Girls in 37 minutes and 54 seconds. The pair also took out the overall victories.

President of Thirroul SLSC John Dryden said Sunday’s weather and surf conditions made for fantastic viewing of many seasoned and up-and-coming surf athletes in action.

“We just got perfect conditions, it was a beautiful morning,” John said.

“We had some of Dean Mercer’s family come down… [which] really added a little bit to the whole event.”

Event organiser and Thirroul SLSC Life Member Jeff Wall said Dean had a strong connection to the club when he was growing up.

“He was a nipper here, he grew up here and started as an eight-year-old with [his brother] Darren, who is a couple of years older, and they competed most of their competitive life here until they were offered positions at clubs in Queensland.”

“When I was lifeguard here on this particular beach, they were nippers … after work we’d all paddle as a big group – not only kids from Thirroul but from Bulli, and friends of theirs from Austinmer, Coledale – and in the end a lot of those kids from those clubs joined Thirroul because it gave them a great team to compete with at state and Australian titles.

“One of our courses was in the corner over [at Sandon Point] … we’d race back here, and we’d record the time.”

Thirroul SLSC appointed the Sandon Point training course as a part of the 5km Dean Mercer Dash circuit as Dean remains the only member of the club to have completed the 1.25km stretch in under nine minutes.

“I guess for the kids now, they’re going to do that and see if they can match his time, which I’ve remembered from the late ’80s,” Jeff said.

Thirroul SLSC President John Dryden said Dean had been “a really tough competitor”.

“This is an endurance event, and Dean’s career was built around endurance events of all different types.”

As the Dean Mercer Dash falls on the same weekend as Thirroul’s Sydney Water Surf Series round – during which 600 competitors from across the region competed at Thirroul Beach on Saturday – there are hopes of drawing in up to 200 participants in the next few years.

“We were happy with [the turnout] this year, but we definitely have plans for a bigger event next year,” John said.

Thirroul SLSC member Geoffrey Pryke, who placed first in the Over 50s division on Sunday and won a series of Masters events at Saturday’s Sydney Water Surf Series, said anyone was capable of competing in the Dean Mercer Dash.

“It’s a sport that really is for anyone, of all ages,” Geoffrey said.

Thirroul Surf Life Saving Club would like to thank local sponsors Byrne Surf and Infront Surf Craft for generously donating a total of $2,000 worth of gift vouchers for the Dean Mercer Dash prize draw.