We all know that the advertising folk like to show off, so what better a place to do it than by shaking what your mama gave you with the exuberant Nigel Marsh at The Sydney Skinny?
Celebrating its 5th anniversary on 19 March with Nudie as the major sponsor once again, more than 1,600 swimmers will bravely step out of their comfort zone in the calm waters of Cobbler’s Beach for an untimed 300-metre or 900-metre course lap.
The yearly nude swim is the brainchild of advertising luminary Nigel Marsh, and helps to raise funds for the National Parks and Wildlife Foundation and Charlie Teo’s Cure Brain Cancer Foundation.
The Sydney Skinny originated from Marsh’s desire to create a new permanent event on the annual calendar that fosters courage, joy, acceptance and community contribution.
Marsh said it is a wonderful thing – if once a year – that you stop, pause and do something different to reflect on work-life balance.
“It is a very different event to how people immediately assume it is,” he said.
“It can be a very useful day for pausing and reflecting in a positive and optimistic way. You dive into the water, and you come out dead naked – all pretences gone.”
Marsh said it is entirely understandable that when life takes over, people operate on autopilot or become addicted to high-pressure stress, rather than being fully alive and mindful.
He sees the Sydney Skinny as a means to courageously confront fears and provide the mental challenge to step outside comfort zones – with a lasting beneficial effect.
“Any fool can face a crisis. It is day-to-day living that is a real challenge,” he said.
“When something happens to you that is big you galvanise yourself and respond to it, but most of us are living day-to-day.
“Sometimes a circuit breaker can be an amazingly great thing for noticing new things and being open to new ways of thinking.”
For more details or to sign up, go to www.thesydneyskinny.com.au or www.facebook.com/TheSydneySkinny.
