Location
Shelly Beach
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The Cole Classic is a ‘must do’ on every ocean swimmers’ calendar.
The event was founded by keen swimmer Graham Cole in 1982 after he competed in a similar event in Hawaii. He came back to Sydney and was keen to establish something similar for Australia's keen ocean swimmers. Thus, the Cole Classic was born.
These days, swimmers and spectators alike come together and immerse themselves in the community atmosphere on the first Sunday in February at Australia’s iconic Manly Beach.
As the Cole Classic celebrates its 40th year anniversary, you can join more than 4,000 swimmers of all ages and abilities who will take on the 1km, 2km or 5km swims, with some of the more serious competitors entering more than one distance!
Whilst all distances enjoy a common start line at Shelly Beach, the 5km swim takes you over to Freshwater Point, with the 2km and 1km swims looping north, before all distances share a common finish line at either South Steyne.
OceanFit Cole Classic Training Course
You can train for the Cole Classic by following one of OceanFit's free online training programs and taking the supplementary Preparing for the Cole Classic course. These courses are great for sharing with friends and getting them involved!
Swim Courses
All swim distances start on Shelly Beach and finish at South Steyne, which is outside the Manly surf club.
The 1km swim is the shortest distance taking swimmers from Shelly Beach around a buoy 500m from the beach and then into South Steyne.
The 2km swim starts the same as the 1km, but heads further north before returning to the finish outside the surf club.
For those taking on the 5km distance, this course will take you all the way down Manly Beach towards Freshwater Beach. Once arriving in Queenscliff Bay out the front of Freshwater Beach, you'll turn the buoys and head all the way back towards Shelly Beach, taking a right-hand turn to finish at South Steyne, Manly.
While You're There
Manly is a popular surfing beach (the birthplace of surfing in Australia) that attracts people from all over the world, from sunbathers to bodyboarders and surfers. There are permanent Volleyball nets/courts located on the beach and a promenade runs along the beachfront for walking, jogging and skating.
There’s a plethora of restaurants, cafés and bars all over Manly to try out!
Shelly Beach, where the race starts from, sits on Cabbage Tree Bay which is a nature reserve perfect scuba divers and snorkelers. There are BBQ facilities and breakfast and lunch at The Boathouse Restaurant.
North Head Sanctuary is a special place for Aboriginal people with rock carvings created many thousands of years ago. North head houses Royal Australian Artillery National Museum, the Bella Vista Café in the heritage-listed North Fort Building, the Australian Bronze Café.
Travel & Parking
The best way to begin your journey to Manly, the Gateway of the Northern Beaches, is by cruising across Sydney Harbour on one of the most picturesque ferry rides in the world.
Of course, you can also take a bus, take a ride-share or drive in a private car.
Other parts of the Northern Beaches are accessible from Sydney’s CBD and suburbs by land and water too.
Ferries to Manly
Manly Ferries leave approximately every half hour (more frequently in peak times) from Wharf 3 at Circular Quay and return at similar intervals. The trip takes 30 minutes. The Ferry gates close two minutes prior to the departure time, to assist with on-time running.
My Fast Ferry and Captain Cook are private ferry companies that run services to Manly, Circular Quay, Watsons Bay, Taronga Zoo, Chowder Bay and Shark Island. The trip to and from Circular Quay is only 20 minutes.
Gallery
Entry Price Range
From $30-95
Results
Event Type
Swim Distances
1km, 2km & 5km
Course Type
Swim Start Times
Saturday, 5 February
- 2:00pm-4:00pm - Race Pack Collection
Sunday, 6 February
- 6:30am - Race HQ opens (Race Pack Collection)
- 6:45am - Bag Drop opens
- 7:45am - 5km event starts
- 8:00am - 1km event starts
- 8:00am–2:00pm - Event Village open
- 10:30am - 2km event starts
- 1:15pm - Bag Drop closes
Swim Pricing
- 1km Child - $30
- 1km Adult - $50
- 2km Child - $40
- 2km Adult - $60
- 5km Child - $70
- 5km Adult - $75
- 1km + 2km Child - $60
- 1km + 2km Adult - $95
To celebrate the 40th year anniversary, the first 4,000 entrants receive a limited edition Cole Classic Truckers Cap and Gear Bag to go along with their swim cap. The pack is worth over $50!
Minimum Age
1km - 9-years-old, 2km - 12-years-old, 5km - 15-years-old
Map
Manly NSW, Australia
Other Event Info
Categories & Start Waves
1km
- Elite – All participants will start in a mixed Start Wave competing for the overall distance title.
- Age Groups – For participants who are competing in the 9-10 yrs or 11-12 yrs age categories.
- Open – Participants will have a choice of the Female Open or Male Open.
- Back of the Pack – Combined gender and age waves for general entry participants. Waves will fill based on order of registration.
2km
- Elite – All participants will start in a mixed Start Wave competing for the overall distance title.
- Age Groups – Participants will be split into Start Waves depending on their age and gender.
- Open – Combined gender and age waves for general entry participants. Waves will fill based on order of registration.
5km
- Open – Participants will be split into Start Waves based on gender.
Refund & Cancellation Policy
What happens if the race is cancelled?
The race organisers reserve the right to cancel the race due to rough or dangerous conditions. In the event of cancellation, there will be no refund of entry fee. An alternate date will be looked at to stage the event. A decision will be made ASAP on race day and broadcast via this website and social media.
If the Event is cancelled due to COVID-19 and alternate dates are unavailable, a credit for the full Event entry fee will be provided against the entry fee for the 2022 Cole Classic only.
Can I refund my entry?
When entering the Cole Classic, the terms and conditions must be accepted by each individual entrant. The refund policy for 2021 is listed below. There are no exceptions to this rule and no refunds will be given for change of mind or situation.
Event results
Tim Flakelar
6 Feb 2022 at 11:00pmCongratulations to MLSC for organising this event. Fantastic swim by Elite winners in 25’ of very difficult conditions.
The 2km. course was changed at the 2nd yellow can for those following swimmers confusing almost everyone, where the Elite group swam around 2nd yellow can as per map & had a channel to the red cans, the others were dangerously directed inside of yellow cans & into very big surf.
Sally Croker
7 Feb 2022 at 6:59amFantastic event. Well done to all the volunteers. A special thanks to the volunteers on boards keeping us on track 🙌
Alex Gosman
7 Feb 2022 at 9:38amEntered the 5km late after Cronulla swim postponed. So glad I did although it was such a tough swim and somewhat exhausting. Never really got the chance to get into a rhythm with the swell and chop.
Superbly organised and so many water craft and volunteers on the swell which was needed given hard to sight. Such a friendly and encouraging attitude by all the volunteers.
bannatyne20
7 Feb 2022 at 10:06amMy Dad and I did the Manly Cole Classic (1km) together and although there were a few issues with the buoys of the course being altered which led to a bit of confusion – found it a fun and well organised event overall. The volunteers from the MLSC went out of their way to ensure that the course remained safe under some challenging conditions and that participants were well looked after both before and after the race. A big thank you to the organisers and the volunteers!
Andrew Scott
7 Feb 2022 at 10:10amBack of the Pack Swimmer.
As someone who loves to swim but doesn’t get much time to train it was great to be able to pull on my fins and enjoy the 2km Cole Classic as a “BoP” swimmer. There was no stigma or condescension just a welcoming attitude from all involved and an acceptance that we all enjoy our ocean swimming the best way we can.
A sincere thanks to all the volunteers who made us all feel safe and welcome on what was a day of reasonably challenging conditions.
Only my 2nd Cole Classic in 8 years but I’ll be back again next year and hopefully for many more to come.
Lauren
6 Feb 2022 at 5:03pmFantastic swim and very well organized by Manly LSC!
Michael Scott
6 Feb 2022 at 5:05pm2nd time competing in this sensational event. 5km. Magical Manly, as always
Greg
6 Feb 2022 at 8:13pmMy favourite swim of the summer calendar. Always a great experience at Manly, the surf is clean, the swim is safe and well organized, there is usually plenty of sealife to observe as you swim by and the atmosphere at the end can’t be beaten. Proud to be part of the 40th anniversary of this fun event. I’ll be back next year for sure.
Mark
6 Feb 2022 at 8:24pmAtmosphere: 5 Stars
Volunteer and Staff 5 Stars
Course Maps and Staff knowledge of 1 star
The 1 K course did not follow the original course maps or the Alternative course maps nor the map on the wall (Too Low down) at the start Gates.
The course had 1 less yellow cone than shown on the day which confused quite a few people. Additionally halfway through the racing someone removed the Red Marker. I saw many other swimmers confused also. Not sure if others had a similar experience.
Other than course communications – A fantastic event with fantastic support crews.
David
6 Feb 2022 at 8:59pmHave to agree.
I love the race, have competed many times, but the organisation of the course was a little off. Hard to know which buoys to swim around after the 2nd buoy. Swimming towards the sun makes it hard to know where you are, have to pause often to work out if you are heading in the right direction…resulting in a little chaos and lost time. Plus it doesn’t help when you are swimming towards the sun = blinding. Please bring back the 1km that goes to Manly Surf Club or go in the opposite direction where the sun is behind you. Not disappointed, just some feedback.
Thank you to all the volunteers and the event organisers that made this happen and Happy 40th!!