Funkypants open water swim for charity draws over 100 participants
A total of 103 swimmers lined up in Longmere Dam on Saturday to face a three-kilometre, 1,5-kilometre and 400 meter races.
Swimmers came out in large numbers over the weekend to tackle open-water swimming in Longmere Dam.
The grey weather could not deter 103 swimmers from bracing the second leg of the Funkypants Open Water Swim on Saturday.
Organiser Allison Williams said the event drew a full 42 more participants than the first leg did two weeks before.
Through this race Williams raised proceeds for the Midmar 8 Mile Club’s support of the Childhood Cancer Foundation (CHOC).
Every year the club donates funds to CHOC through the Midmar open-water race.
Only two did not finish: One in the 1,5-kilometre race, the other in the 400 metres.
Only seven swimmers were willing to take on the three-kilometre race. Jacey Bekker (15) finished the swim first, in a time of 43:08.
He would later finish second in the 1,5 kilometre in 19:24, behind Thelise Saunders (15) who won the distance in a time of 18:33.
- Watch the video here:
In the three-kilometre event Eric Nilsson (29) was second in 45:00, followed by Chris Stapley (48), a veteran, in 45:08.
Nicole Lewis (20) was fourth in 45:11, Pierrette Labuschagne (43), a female veteran fifth in 45:38. Junior boy WG Engelbrecht (13) finished sixth, and Williams (38) herself, achieved a time of 56:28.
- See pictures of the second leg of the Funkypants open water swim here.
