THE 53rd aQuellé Midmar Mile drew 12 000 swimmers to participate in South Africa’s biggest open water swim on February 7-8. This year’s race saw swimmers from the Durban South, complete their first time, return for a second round of Midmar Mile and a participant reach a new milestone.

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100th Midmar Mile

Stephen Hunt from The Bluff celebrated a personal record, completing his 100th Midmar Mile. Hunt braved the mile yet again aiming to complete it in less than 35 minutes. Despite not being satisfied with his training for this year’s race, Hunt still managed to reach his goal completing the race in 00:32:23.

“I was far from prepared for this event, having not trained properly in three months. Considering I had to stop twice during the race to re-adjust my goggles, it gave me confidence that I can do way better next year,” said Hunt.

When the Midmar Mile comes around, Hunt usually takes on the eight and 16 mile charity swims, but this year he wanted to focus on finishing his 100th race.

“Leading up to the swim was exciting, knowing I was about to accomplish such a goal. Seeing the lane ropes at the end always feels amazing. It used to feel overwhelming, but now that I have done it multiple times and achieved a goal in the process, it feels very special,” he said.

Hunt is already planning for his next swim, where he hopes to secure another milestone with his 10th consecutive Midmar Mile race.  “I am really just thinking about doing this for many years, 10 more years for now and then maybe 25,” joked Hunt.

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Returning swimmer

Taariq Stokes from Wentworth swam his second Midmar Mile to honour his aunt, who died the week of the race. Stokes aimed to finish in under 35 minutes but ultimately finished in 49 minutes.

“This year, I was not swimming to beat the clock, but to honour my aunt,’ said Stokes.

He added that the day was tougher than expected and tested him emotionally and physically. Many know Stokes for being a distance runner rather than a swimmer, according to Stokes, the idea of swimming the race came to him as a challenge to see if he could finish the race as a non-swimmer.

First timer

Taking on her first Midmar Miles, Tracey Samuels from Wentworth completed the race in 01:22:00, eight minutes faster than what she hoped to finish in.

“The Midmar Mile has been something I have wanted to do for a while, because I love to swim,” she said. Samuels said it was a good challenge and she was glad to have achieved her goal for the race. She is already planning to come back next year.

From hitting major goals to honouring loved ones and achieving personal firsts, this year’s Midmar Mile cemented why it is one of the most popular swimming events of the year.

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