Athlone Park couple makes waves at Midmar Mile
Lynn and Lawrence Schroder found their recent swim of the Midmar Mile tough as they experienced rough water and inclement weather.
ATHLONE Park couple, Lynn and Lawrence Schroder, successfully swam their 56th crossing at the 51st Midmar Mile on the weekend of February 10 and 11.
This much-anticipated race is recognised as the biggest open-water swim in the world, with thousands of swimmers of all ages from South Africa and overseas coming to take part in one of the races.
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The couple, who is part of the 20 Year Club, swam their 56th crossing on the Saturday. With 45 years of participating in the event together, they have weathered various challenges, including the roughest waters on record during their recent swim.
Lynn said it was great having her husband swimming just ahead of her, encouraging her all of the way during the difficult swim.
“With strong winds, the dam can quickly become a real challenge with currents and waves. We swam slower than normal but were very thrilled to receive our medals,” she said.
Lynn’s dedication to swimming shines through the establishment and operation of her swim school, a venture she embarked on at the age of 17 – she is now almost 80 years old.
“I’ve introduced the Midmar Mile to hundreds of swimmers, young and old. It is a highlight of our annual sports programme,” she said
Lynn said swimming is the best form of exercise for people of all ages, which was shown on Saturday when Peta Harrison trained and swam with 14 pensioners from the Widenham Retirement Village. One of these swimmers was Margie Clifford, a retired teacher from Athlone Park Primary School who swam her first Midmar at the age of 71.
Lynn’s advice to everyone is to just keep swimming as age is not a hindrance, and the Midmar Mile is a central point for both training and the actual swim.
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