Brad Morgan
31 January 2008
The 35th edition of the Halfway Telkom Midmar Mile, the world's largest open water swimming event, which takes place on 9 and 10 February, will feature a breakthrough with the introduction of a timing chip that will enable competitors to access their times by cellphone almost immediately after they finish swimming.
The previous system of barcode tags will be retained as a back-up system in case the new system fails to work. If matters go to plan, however, the timing chips will bring an end to the long wait for individual results that competitors previously had to endure.
New medal
A new medal, which will become standard for future editions of the race, will be introduced for the first time. It brings the Midmar Mile in line with two other iconic mass-participation endurance events held in KwaZulu-Natal: the Hansa Powerade Dusi Canoe Marathon and the Comrades Marathon.
Together the three events make up the Ironman and Ironwoman competitions which will be decided on the first of the two days of the Midmar Mile, Saturday 9 February.
For spectators who are interested in following the races as they unfold - and identifying athletes among the thousands of coloured swimming caps is all but impossible from the banks of the dam - there is further good news.
Commentary
For the first time, commentary from both the start and the finish will be available at both locations simultaneously. During the race, commentary and updates will be provided from boats out on the water.
Dedicated radio coverage is a further new innovation which will be available over a radius of 30 kilometres.
Race organiser Wayne Riddin, addressing the media at the official press launch in Pietermaritzburg on Wednesday, said one of the event's successes and one of its most important aspects has become raising money for charity. In future, said Riddin, the Midmar Mile would aim to raise R1-million for charity annually.
The Sunflower Fund
The organisers of the race went on to hand over a cheque for R20 000 to the Sunflower Fund, a charity which is building a bone marrow registry in South Africa.
Game Stores also presented a R20 000 cheque to the event organisers.
In addition, on Tuesday in Johannesburg, the Midmar Mile presented R20 000 to the Deaf Association of South Africa and a further R20 000 to the Fulton School for the Deaf.
The most famous graduate of the school, former Midmar Mile winner and Olympic Games silver medalist in the 200 metres breaststroke, Terence Parkin, upon hearing of the donation committed himself to swim all eight events at the Midmar Mile as part of the Eight-Mile charity initiative. Previously, it hadn't been his aim.
Entries up
Thanks to a big leap in online entries, it appears this year's event will enjoy a significantly larger
entry than 2007. Official entries at the time of the media launch had reached 13 586, well ahead of the 12 108 at the same time last year.
Eunice Girls High School of Bloemfontein has entered 153 pupils, with Michaelhouse second among schools with 129, and Treverton College in third with 91.
It will be interesting to see the final breakdown of entries because last year there were more entries from Gauteng than there were from the host province KwaZulu-Natal (KZN). Gautengers made up 40.48% of the field, with KZN slightly behind with 39.38%, and Northern Province in third with 13.63%.
Smaller international entry
Unfortunately, there will be a smaller international entry this year, following a Swimming South Africa decision to move the International 10-kilometre race - set to be swum on the Thursday preceding the Midmar Mile - to Cape Town, despite it having been successfully hosted at the resort for five years.
It is a decision that has angered race organiser Wayne Riddin. He said that a large British contingent that was due to contest the event would no longer be able to do so. They would have used the 10-kilometre race as their Olympic open water swimming trials, explained Riddin, who sat in on the meeting when the decision was taken.
It was the Midmar Mile organisers who some years back made an approach to the British swimmers to take part in the event and now, because of Swimming South Africa's decision, they won't be part of the event.
Australians missing
Australian swimmers who win the Gold Coast Mile Down Under normally get to contest the Midmar Mile as part of their prize but, because 2008 is an Olympic year, Swimming Australia has banned the country's swimmers from competing abroad after 1 February, so they are also out of the running.
Hungary, however, will again provide top international competitors. The Hungarian contingent will include a number of Olympic hopefuls and they should challenge for honours in the various races.
Previously, Diana Hegedus won the women's 14-30 title in 2001 and 2002, while last year David Sibalin took victory in the boys' 13-and-under category and Anna Olasz won the girls' race. Rita Kovacs took victory in the women's 31-40 race.
New winner
There will be a new winner in the women's 14-30 race this year because last year's champion, Australia's Melissa Gorman, won't be back to defend her title, while dangerous conditions in 2007 prevented the swimming of the men's 14-30 event, the final race on the programme.
In the unlikely event that dangerous conditions arise again, the organisers will single out 20 seeded swimmers capable of dealing with the conditions to take part in the event. Each swimmer will then be tracked by a boat to ensure his/her safety. This will apply to the main men's and women's races only.
Mike Arbuthnot, one of the event's founders, will be competing in the race for the 35th time. He is the only swimmer to have officially taken part in it each and every year.
Mike Pengelly will be swimming the Midmar Mile for the 35th time too, but he swam it unofficially one year, a week before the race proper, when he took part in the World Masters Lifesaving Championships in New Zealand.
Oldest entrants
The oldest entrants are 84-year-old Roy Rees and Lorna Cochran, who were the oldest finishers in 2007. Cochran will establish a new record as the oldest female finisher ever if she completes the race, but Rees is still five years behind the record of 89 years for men set by Colin Gable in 1999.
Last year's youngest finisher was six-year-old Akhir Brijlal, who took one hour, five minutes and 49 seconds to complete the race.
Saturday's events
After the Midmar Mile first reached 10 000 entries, a decision was taken to split the event
into two days, with Saturday, for the most part, providing the more social races, such as the family relay and the team relay. Interestingly, this year's Midmar Mile will feature more competitors on the Saturday than the Sunday when the main men's and women's races take place.
Saturday's events include the Ironman and Ironwoman competitions. Lance Chapman has won the men's competition for four years in succession, while his wife Sue is also a four-time winner.
Unilever will be aiming for a fourth win on the trot in the company relay, while USN Spike will be chasing a hat-trick in the non-company relay.
The Mower family - Courtnay, Kirsten, Conny, Caitlin and Richard - will also be going for three in a row in the family relay.
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