Vance Pritchard is a hero on the run who saved a drowning man’s life when heading out for a training session.
Mr Pritchard was waiting at Happy Valley in Caloundra to meet the regular Sunny Coast Darkrunners crew before 6am on Sunday when they heard cries for help.
They saw a man who had made the questionable decision to swim across the Pumicestone Passage to Bribie Island waving his arms for help as he was being swept out to sea in a very strong current.
As the man cried out, he began swallowing water and started to panic. It’s believed he had been drinking the night before.
With no lifesavers on duty and few people around at that very early hour of the morning, Mr Pritchard, who has the nickname ‘Legend Vance’ in the running community, flew into action.
“George (another runner) and I looked at each other and I was first off with the shoes,” Mr Pritchard told sunshinecoastnews.com.au
“When I got out to him he said ‘What should I do?’ and I said roll on your back and I dragged him back in.”
On shore, the Darkrunners watched the drama unfold as one of the crew, Kassandra Reynolds, dialled for emergency help.
“In the blink of an eye, Vance had taken off his shoes and socks, raced down the stairs, over the rocks and entered the water, swimming out to his rescue,” recounted Mrs Reynolds.
“I had simultaneously called 000 and was put in touch with the ambulance service and police.
“The man was struggling to stay afloat, Vance turned him on his back, and assumed a rescue position and swum him back to shore.”
Standing at 190cm tall, Mr Pritchard is a strong swimmer who was a diver in his younger days and has no fear of the water.
But swimming out to rescue the heavy man was not without its difficulties as the strong tide pushed seaward.
Without his shoes on, Mr Pritchard’s feet were badly lacerated as he hurried across the rocks, not ideal for someone who enjoys running.
“I got a lot of cuts and grazes from the rocks and I was really hoping I wouldn’t stand on a stonefish,” Mr Pritchard said.
“I’ve got a hike I was meant to be doing on Saturday with myself and a couple of Irish guys for St Patrick’s Day.
“I’ve spent a lot of money at the pharmacy so hopefully I can still go.”
Although Mr Pritchard talks down his heroic effort, saying ‘It was nothing’, he received much thanks from the man whose life had flashed before his eyes in the water.
“He was thankful and said ‘You saved my life’. I didn’t.”
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Mrs Reynolds says she has no doubt the man would have drowned if Mr Pritchard had not risked his life because there were few people around at that time of the morning.
“If our running group didn’t meet there and if Vance didn’t do what he did, risking his own life, making that split-second decision, I have no doubt that we would have witnessed a man drown,” she said.
“If Vance hesitated and didn’t swim out when he did, it would have been too dangerous for him to even attempt the rescue. He is a hero.
“Vance took a calculated risk, a flight of adrenaline. He is a tall, strong, fit person.
“Vance is known in our Sunny Coast Running Community as ‘Legend Vance’ and he truly lived up to his name.”
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Drowning statistics reveal males accounted for 79 per cent of drownings across Australia in the 10 years until June 30 and alcohol was one noticeable contributing factor.
One in five men aged 25-44 who drowned during the past decade were over the legal alcohol limit.
Men aged 25 to 44 who took risks and overestimated their abilities were at greatest risk, data from the Royal Life Saving Society shows.
