Cohen, 21, repeats after last winning event in 2019
By Mike McCombs
The Island News
It took a while, but Cohen Bruner is a repeat Beaufort River Swim overall champion.
The 21-year-old Hilton Head Island High School product finished Saturday’s 3.2-mile, open-water race from the Port Royal Marina to the Downtown Beaufort Beaufort Marina in a time of 50 minutes, 41 seconds.
Bruner last won as a 16 year old in 2019, edging his younger sister and the women’s champion, then-14-year-old Skylar, by 8 seconds to win the overall championship. Since then, Skylar, who did not compete this year, had won four more women’s River Swim titles, including the 2020 overall title.
Cohen and Skylar’s parents – Carlton and Heather Bruner – have competed in this event in the past. Both competitive swimmers, Carlton Bruner competed for the United States in the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta.
This year’s female champion, finishing fourth overall, was 13-year-old Piper Lucas of Hilton Head Island, who finished the race in 55:37.
According to Beaufort-Jasper YMCA of the Lowcountry Marketing & Development Director Nancy Kirk, this year’s event was the largest in several years with 179 participants, up from 139 last year. That may have something to do with a format change.
“We decided to go back to a single day race instead of the challenge weekend based on feedback from race participants,” Kirk wrote in an email. “Our unique open-water event brings in participants from near and far. This year we (had) swimmers traveling from Florida, North Carolina, Georgia, Ohio, Virginia, Alabama, Massachusetts and California.
Kirk said organizers also implemented a newer, more fair start procedure.
“Instead of starting the clock for everyone at once, each individual swimmer’s clock will start once they cross the timing mat right before they get into the water,” Kirk said before the race. “This will not only help fair timing for those competitively swimming, we’ll also avoid everyone jumping in at once making it a safer start as safety is our top priority at this event.”
According to organizers, all proceeds from the event go directly to the Wardle Family YMCA’s Learn to Swim program, which provides scholarships for free swim lessons. The program’s goal is to make sure every child in Beaufort, Jasper and Hampton Counties knows how to swim, as this is an essential life-saving skill.
The Learn to Swim program recently partnered with Hampton County Schools, Camp Wildwood and Open Arms Fellowship to launch a pilot swim program providing free swim lessons to second-graders in Hampton County. The program was a huge success and has been given the green light to continue for the next five years.
“As a non-profit, the YMCA relies heavily on community support to be able to provide these scholarships,” Kirk said. “We are very appreciative of everyone who donates to and sponsors the Beaufort River Swim and Run. These programs would not exist in this capacity without them. Each sponsorship and donation helps make our community safer.”
Mike McCombs is the Editor of The Island News and can be reached at TheIslandNews@gmail.com.
