Don't go far if you want to be in the swim | Manawatu-Wanganui News | Local News in Manawatu-Wanganui

That's the invitation from Rangitikei Active manager Kathleen Murphy ahead of some great events planned for south Rangitikei.

The 50m Hereford St pool, the only Olympic-sized covered pool between Marton and Wellington, opens for the summer on September 27.

Mrs Murphy said seven swim clubs from the lower North Island trained and raced at the pool.

In 2004 the gym was added, which was a great boon for the community.

Coming up on October 10 is the Marton 5-hundy choice of 5km and 10km fun run and walks, where the Multisport Marton challenge is to get 500 people to the start line.

On November 14, the Hunterville Hill half marathon will be held and teams could run it as a relay, Mrs Murphy said.

But anyone who was in training for the Marton Half Ironman would have to wait for 2012 as the event had been postponed.

The Marton Aquatic and Leisure Trust run the aquatic centre and gym for the Marton community with a grant from the Rangitikei District Council.

Mrs Murphy said the trust had run the pool with savings and efficiencies and was refurbishing the heating and condensing the gas for re-use, to fit with the Kyoto Protocol and save money for the community.

The first outdoor pool was built in 1912, with only the diving pool remaining from that time.

In the 1970s the community got behind a big effort to raise funds for the new covered pool, with four "queens" to vote for.

They each had to swear their allegiance to the queen, and the Marton queen who raised the most money was crowned the "queen of queens".

Mrs Murphy and gym manager Marie Kinloch are formerly from Wanganui. Mrs Murphy is an experienced triathlete, duathlete, qualified nurse, pool lifeguard trainer, personal trainer and nutrition adviser.

Mrs Kinloch has a BA in sport and exercise and takes the Sit Fit class for an hour a week.

She has just returned to play netball for Kaierau after 10 years away from the sport.

Both women love their jobs because the people want to come to the centre.

Both spoke of an 80-year old man who said he found "skiing was getting too hard" and came along to the gym to maintain his fitness.