YOU’RE never too old to achieve a personal goal and 45-year-old Justin Tilley of Surf Beach on Phillip Island ticked off the long-held ambition of winning the Cowes Classic last Saturday with a two-second victory over Liam Hemmingway.
It set up a rare double for Phillip Island in their annual aquathon, over a 500m swim and 4km run course around the Cowes jetty and around the town when Sunset Strip resident Zoe Adams won the women’s section, coming in 5th overall in a time of 0:21:22.3.
It has been quite a quest for Tilley who finished 2nd in 2024 in a time of 19.46.7, trimming 25 seconds off that time to take the win narrowly this year.
In previous years he has finished 3rd in 2023 in 19.47.9, 3rd in 2022 in 18.49.3, 8th in 2021 in 20.20.4, 13th in 2019 in 25.16.0, 2nd in 2018 in 18.10.3, missing in 2017 and finishing 5th in 2016 in 21.15.
The Cowes Classic was the second race in the Bass Coast Aquathon Series with the San Remo Channel Challenge to follow on Saturday, March 1.
The Cowes Classic attracted a field of 237 competitors this year, of whom 110 were locals including a good number of Phillip Island Football Netball Club players who use the event annually as a warm-up for the season.
On that score, the conditions could not have been better, according to organisers, with calm waters on the front beach at Cowes and cool, cloudy skies above after a long, hot summer.
The top 10 placegetters (overall): 1st Justin Tilley (Mature Male) 0:19:21.0 (swim 0:07:48.9, transition 0:00:24.7, run 0:11:07.3). 2nd Liam Hemingway (Senior Male) 0:19:23.8 (swim 0:07:45.1, transition 0:00:40.1, run 0:10:58.5). 3rd Phillips Tyler (Senior Male) 0:20:10.5 (swim 0:07:16.1, transition 0:00:45.5, run 0:12:08.9. 4th Muir Dylan (Senior Male) 0:21:15.5. 5th Zoe Adams (Senior Female) 0:21:22.3, 6th Mark Rowe (Mature Male) 0:21:27.9, 7th Mitchell Diston (Senior Male) 0:21:56.1, 8th Paul Taylor (Veteran Male), 9th Sutherland Bailey (Senior Male) 0:22:39.0, 10th Julian Harris (Senior Male) 0:22:52.4.
Top 10 local residents: 1st Justin Tilley (Mature Male) 0:19:21.0, 2nd Dylan Muir (Senior Male) 0:21:15.5, 3rd Zoe Adams (Senior Female) 0:21:22.3, 4th Mark Rowe (Mature Male) 0:21:27.9, 5th Bailey Sutherland (Senior Male) 0:22:39.0, 6th Ayden Fawaz (Junior Male) 0:23:13.8, 7th Cameron Finlay (Junior Male), 8th Andre Hetebrueg (Senior Male) 0:23:24.8, 9th River Henderson (Junior Male) 0:23:25.5, 10th Finn Middleton Finn (Junior Male) 0:23:27.5.
The team relay event (overall) was won by Justins Disciples including Jim Corbett and Luke Nicholson Luke in a time of 0:19:11.7. They also won the local relay from Noah Williams and Jack Briggs in 0:20:25.0 and Paul Roberts and Carl Wright 0:21:37.5.
