The Collie Mineworkers Memorial Pool has found a new way to motivate swimmers to get down to the pool – by measuring their progress on a map of the country.
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Pool manager Peter Pesci began the initiative which challenged swimmers to try and swim the 200km between Collie and Perth by the end of the pool season.
He has also been totaling up the distance swum by everyone who registered and plotting it on a map of Australia, with the goal to cross the Nullarbor.
Mr Pesci said he thought it would get little attention, but the response from the swimming community has been great.
“I’ve had to put on an extra lane so everyone can get in the pool and do their laps,” he said.
“There were people who were coming in and doing their one kilometre before leaving that are now pushing it out to two or three.”
Mr Pesci said that since the initiative had started on December 9, the registered swimmers had visited the pool more than 870 times between them.
He also said that it was great to see some of the impressive efforts of swimmers, in particular Rod Hart, a blind swimmer who has clocked up around 80km.
“It’s great to see him out in the pool and giving it a go,” Mr Pesci said.
Mr Pesci said that the response to the initiative forced him to reevaluate how far he expected the group to travel across the Nullarbor.
He said that he had originally expected the group to reach somewhere between Eucla and the WA-SA border when the pool season ended.
However, as the group has already made it passed Madura, he said he now believes the group will cross the Nullarbor and make it all the way to Ceduna in South Australia.
Anyone interested in getting involved can join at the Collie Mineworkers Memorial Pool.