Teenager Sets Record during the 5in5 Round the Rock Swim

Saturday saw another milestone day for the 5in5 challenge with swimmers taking to the sea for a Round the Rock. The event was to see many an individual milestone for some of those taking part, at both ends of the scale.
On the one side we would see a young 17 year old Ruby Randall delivering a glimpse of extraordinary youth talent. Whilst on the other side of the scale, and away from the limelight one of our very own Chronicle reporters, Eyleen Gomez, overcame her fears of the sea and took on the challenge.
Ruby Randall, aged 17, delivered a standout performance in this year’s Round the Rock sea swim, completing the challenging 12-kilometre course around Gibraltar in 2 hours and 35 minutes and setting a new East-to-West course record in the Neoprene Category.
The event, part of The Last Dance in the 5x5 Charity Swim Series, began in jellyfish-infested waters at Eastern Beach and finished at Western Beach. Ruby was the first swimmer out of the water and was met with a loud round of applause from those gathered at Western Beach to witness the event.
Open water swimming legend Nathan Payas was at Western Beach and the first to congratulate Ruby on her achievement, stating:
“Ruby is an incredibly brave and highly competent swimmer beyond her years. To have jumped in the water at Eastern Beach when it was clearly full of jellyfish and braved the full perimeter of the Rock at considerable distance from the shore throughout shows incredible determination for this 17-year-old. Her swim was spectacular and inspiring. It is well deserved, as she is a very hard worker, which I witness regularly in the pool.”
“If she continues her open water endeavours, she could easily conquer many more great challenges as she has the right mindset and is a superb swimmer. Her time for this Round the Rock was just three minutes away from my fastest in the traditional, opposite direction. Keep up the good work, Ruby. You make us all very proud.”
Ruby thanked the organisers for the opportunity to take part in what she described as “a tough but unforgettable experience.” She also expressed her gratitude to Charles Harrison, the founder of the 5x5 series, and to Norman, the support kayaker who accompanied her throughout the swim.
Away from the limelight, Eyleen Gomez, with her bright yellow inflatable duck she had jokingly named “Felix” raised to the challenge to overcome one of her greatest fears, swimming in open seas.
Weeks of training, and challenging herself, and not looking for any records or headlines, Saturday was to see her take to the water with her support team to complete a challenge which had started just twenty months earlier.
“Petrified of water, I decided to learn how to swim in November 2023 and just over a year ago I did my first open water swim in Sandy Bay. I never understood people who swam outside the safe confines of the groynes, until I ventured beyond them for the first time and took part in two triathlons.
“Then I couldn’t believe people would swim further out to sea and I certainly couldn’t comprehend people who swam around the Rock. Until the likes of Charles Harrison from 5n5, Sera Fromow my swimming teacher and my swimming partner, Juan Carlos Vinales, buddies Wayne Warwick and Earon Balloqui gave me the confidence to go for it and be part of their relay team.
“Hands down it was one of the biggest achievements in my life, an ultra-marathon or crazy long bike rides pale in comparison to this. I enjoyed the swim from Catalan Bay to past Gorham’s Cave the most, despite the jellyfish and it was surreal swimming alongside the South Mole and the Detached Mole, an area you never can swim in.
“Swimming from North Mole into Western Beach, a plane flew overhead as it landed. That was incredible.
“The whole event was fantastic, so much so I didn’t sleep well that night as replays of the swim played out in my head and the adrenaline was yet to leave my body.
“And shout out to my husband Paul who puts up with me creeping out of bed for early sunrise swims and my busy training schedule.”

(as published on Wednesday 2nd July in print edition)