51-Year History of aQuellé Midmar Mile

1974

• Men’s winner: Trevor Strydom (23:54.60)
• Men’s second: Owen Ryan (24:01.50)
• Men’s third: Martin Godfrey (24:23)
• Women's winner: Unofficial
• Boys U14 winner: Bruce Wayne-Smith (29:52.70)
• Girls U14 winner: Unofficial

Men competing: 153
Women competing: 0 (Women swam unofficially)
Total no. of competitors: 153

Who would have thought those petrol restrictions in 1973 would initiate the events that eventually led to the first ever Midmar Mile swim on Sunday 10 February 1974?

Mike Arbuthnot, Dick Park and Brian Glover were unable to travel as far as East London to compete in the Buffalo Mile in 1973 due to petrol restrictions, and decided a similar event should be organised in Natal. Midmar Dam was the chosen venue, and as such, in conjunction with the Natal Parks Board, the first swim was organised. “We could not have held it without the cooperation and assistance of the Natal Parks Board, and have been assured of their continued help with this annual race in the future,” Mr Arbuthnot said.

153 swimmers officially competed in the inaugural race. Several girls unofficially entered, and finished, the men's-only race. Women were to be included in the following year's race. Trevor Strydom, who eventually went on to represent South Africa at pentathlon, took the first victory, with Owen Rian and Martin Godfrey not too far off the pace for the next two positions.

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1975

• Men’s winner: Wayne Riddin (20:14.70)
• Women's winner: Debbie McLaren (22:01.00)
• Women’s second: Boenie Chalmers, now Bees (no time found)
• Boys U14 winner: G. Mottram (20:50.00)
• Girls U14 winner: Karin Fritsch (22:56.00)

Men competing: 225
Women competing: 90
Total no. of competitors: 315

1975 saw the introduction of the first female entries after several women unofficially competed in the previous year. Debbie McLaren took the honours with Boenie Chalmers (now Bees) the runner-up. Connie Fritsch (eight years old) entered her first mile and her experience would come through in later years. Wayne Riddin won the men’s event beating the previous record by over three minutes. The total field of swimmers was 315, more than double that of the previous year. The entrants consisted of 225 men and 90 women, with only three swimmers dropping out.

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1976

• Men’s winner: Wayne Riddin (20:48.70)
• Men’s second: Dave McCarney (21:08.00)
• Men’s third: M. Barnes (22:35.60)
• Women's winner: Linda Jarden (22:30.00)
• Women’s second: Karen Fritsch (22:30.90)
• Women’s third: B. Rees (22:35.60)
• Boys U14 winner: R. van der Merwe (23:35.10)
• Girls U14 winner: S. Bentley (23:40.00)

Men competing: 350
Women competing: 284
Total no. of competitors: 634

The entries almost doubled again, just like the previous year. The organisers put a one hour time limit on the swim. Nine swimmers failed to complete the race out of the 634. Wayne Riddin took his second victory ahead of the late Dave McCarney who went on to represent South Africa in triathlon before he tragically lost his life while riding his bike. A close race developed in the women’s event where Linda Jardin took the win ahead of Karin Fritsch by only 0.9 seconds. B. Rees was third.

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1977

• Men’s winner: Paul Blackbeard (18:39.80)
• Men’s second: Brett Davies (18:40.60)
• Men’s third: Peter le Roux (18:57)
• Women's winner: Karin Fritsch (20:02.50)
• Women’s second: Gaye Harker (20:02)
• Women’s third: Nikki Nattrass (20:15)
• Boys U14 winner: Douglas O. Ryan (21:05.40)
• Girls U14 winner: B. Rimmer (21:17.40)

Oldest finisher: Douglas Gold, age 56 (33:57.90)
Men competing: (not found)
Women competing: (not found)
Total no. of competitors: 1021

For the fourth year in a row, the entries poured in and almost doubled again from 634 to 1021. These higher entries lead to an increase in safety measures, with the number of watch boats rising to nine and the introduction of “sweeper men”. These 20 men would swim behind the last swimmers and help anyone who was struggling. The event drew a spectator crowd of over 4000 people to watch as the swimmers made their way across the dam.

Triple Springbok, Paul Blackbeard beat Brett Davis by only 0.8 seconds in a running race over the line. Peter le Roux claimed third place, while Wayne Riddin claimed fourth after hesitating at the start and struggling to swim out of the crowd. Only 33 seconds separated the first four. Karin Fritsch made up for her narrow loss the previous year by claiming her first victory ahead of Gaye Harker and Nikki Nattrass.

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1978

• Men’s winner: Jacques Marais (18:20.60)
• Men’s second: Wayne Riddin (19:23.10)
• Men’s third: Quin Kohler (19:52.80)
• Women's winner: Caroline Wylde (20:40.10)
• Women’s second: Tereia Krogman (21:16.40)
• Women’s third: L. Kliegel (21:19.30)
• Boys U14 winner: J. Taylor (20:17.20)
• Girls U14 winner: Sandy Phin Phillip (21:26.40)
• Iron Man: Alastair Mayard
• Oldest finisher: Phillip T. Jones, age 68 (no time found)

Men competing: 904
Women competing: 522
Total no. of competitors: 1426

1978 saw the first time the Iron Man Trophy was awarded, presented to Alastair Mayard based on his times of the previous year. The award was presented to the athlete with the lowest average time between the three endurance events of Pietermaritzburg, being the Comrades Marathon, Dusi Canoe Marathon and Midmar mile.

Another double winner emerged as Springbok Jacques Marais claimed the win, with Wayne Riddin narrowly missing his third win and followed narrowly by Querin Kohler in third. Caroline Wylde won the women's race in 20:20.60, with Tercia Krogman and L. Kliegel following.

Karin Fritsch unfortunately missed the start of the women's race due to a punctured car tyre on the way. She was allowed to compete unofficially in the men's race, where she finished second overall in a time of 19:23.10 along with Wayne Riddin.

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1979

• Men’s winner: Jacques Marais (18:53.80)
• Men’s second: Craig Murray (19:27)
• Men’s third: Brent Coetzee (20:21)
• Women's winner: Karin Fritsch (20:05.30)
• Women’s second: Connie Fritsch (21:34)
• Women’s third: Sharon Bentley (21:40)
• Boys U14 winner: B. Coetzee (20:01.20)
• Girls U14 winner: Connie Fritsch (21:34.30)
• Iron Man: Brian Fowles

Oldest finisher: Douglas Gold, age 58 (35:11)
Men competing: (not found)
Women competing: (not found)
Total no. of competitors: 1892

Jacques Marais won his second title this year from the 1892 entries, with ages ranging from six to 58. Craig Murray and Brent Coetzee followed. Karin Fritsch raced on time and reclaimed first place ahead of her sister Connie Fritsch, both of whom enjoyed many years competing prominently in the Mile. Third place went to their club mate, Sharon Bentley.

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1980

• Men’s winner: Nick Gray (18:36.09)
• Men’s second: Gary Brinkman (18:52.90)
• Men’s third: Julian Taylor (18:55.60)
• Women's winner: Pat Butcher (18:13)
• Women’s second: Karin Fritsch (18:40.30)
• Women’s third: Susan Erasmus (19:05.60)
• Boys U14 winner: V. Sterley (20:30.06)
• Girls U14 winner: S. Erasmus (21:28.60)
• Iron Man: John Murray

Oldest finisher: Harry Merricks, age 71 (58:00)
Men competing: 1547
Women competing: 947
Total no. of competitors: 2481

1980 attracted a record number of 2481 entries, drawing comments from the organisers that swimmers would need to qualify in 1981 as they would not be able to cope with the numbers, and entries would need to be limited. Out of these entries, 1361 men and 883 women completed their swim in under an hour. 15-year-old Pat Butcher took the limelight by completing the mile in a faster time than all the men in a time of 18:13, followed by Karin Fritsch and Susan Erasmus. Success for Marais (men’s winner for previous two years) was not forthcoming as he faded to eighth place in his attempt to become the first male to win three times in a row. Another group of springboks filled the first three places with Nicky Gray (18:36.09) taking the honours ahead of Gary Brinkman and Julian Taylor.

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1981

• Men’s winner:  Gary Brinkman (18:30.08)
• Men’s second: Brent Coetzee (19:13)
• Men’s third: Brian Tatterson (19:20)
• Women's winner: Pat Butcher (21:10.06)
• Women’s second: Karin Fritsch (21:41)
• Women’s third: Connie Fritsch (21:51)
• Boys U14 winner: Nicky Woolf (21:11)
• Girls U14 winner: Corinne Meyer (21:31)
• Iron Man: John Murray
• Iron Woman: Paddy Williams

Oldest finisher: George May, age 66 (no time found)
Men competing: (not found)
Women competing: (not found)
Total no. of competitors: 3100+

1981 attracted a record number of entries, going over 3100. Fortunately the organisers had structured a new starting format to alleviate congestion at the start, introducing the batched start. Event one placed the girls and boys under 14, men and women 31 and older and the Ironmen entries together. This was followed with all the men (14-30 years) in event two and later women (14-30 years) in event three. The 50-minute time limit was introduced this year. This was also the first year that a computer system was used at the finish, which prevented queues of finishers waiting to clock in. This year saw Gary Brinkman and Pat Butcher reclaiming their titles for the second year in a row. They were closely followed by Brent Coetzee, Brian Tatterson and Karin, Connie Fritsch respectively. 1981 saw the introduction of the Iron Woman, claimed by Paddy Williams, while the Iron Man was reclaimed by the previous year’s winner, John Murray. 

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1982

• Men’s winner: Gary Brinkman (19:05)
• Men’s second: Anton Van Niekerk (19:06)
• Men’s third: Hugh Ross (19:47)
• Women's winner: Pat Butcher (20:30)
• Women’s second: Susan Butcher (21:11)
• Women’s third: Gail Jeffrey (21:27)
• Boys U14 winner: Darren Coetzee (20:55)
• Girls U14 winner: Lauren Brukman (21:23)
• Iron Man: Danny Biggs
• Iron Woman: Paddy Williams

Oldest finisher: George May, age 67 (no time found)
Men competing: (not found)
Women competing: (not found)
Total no. of competitors: 2327

This year saw almost 3000 entrants with an adjusted race format to allow for the numbers. The race was split into four events: event one with girls 14 and under and women 31 and older; event two with boys 14 and under and men 31 and older; event three with women 14-30 years; and event four with men 14-30 years. This was also the first time that entries organiser, Ray Fish, would enter the race as well.

Another dramatic finish developed with Gary Brinkman beating the late Anton van Niekerk, probably one of the most versatile Springboks ever, in a dash to the line for his second victory. Springbok, Hugh Ross was third. Brinkman also left for the USA on scholarship before being able to attempt his third victory. Pat Butcher became the first woman to win three in a row and this time round had to defend her title against her sister, Susan. Gail Jeffrey came third in the main women's event.

Another star would rise from the woman’s event, as Laura Hancock would jeopardise her finishing time to save an unnamed competitor, who was knocked unconscious at the start. She was saved from drowning by Laura, who noticed her condition and dragged her back to shore, thereby delaying her own start. After her heroic act, she proceeded to swim her race in the allotted time. A total of 378 swimmers did not finish.

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1983 (10th Anniversary)

• Men’s winner: Vance Sterley (19:30.20)
• Men’s second: Stephen Cromarty (19:35)
• Men’s third: Pierre Snoep (19:50)
• Women's winner: Sue Erasmus (21:00.71)
• Women’s second: Gail Jeffrey (21:18)
• Women’s third: Lauren Brukman (21:25)
• Boys U14 winner: Paul Niemand (20:47.92)
• Girls U14 winner: Debbie Wade (20:53.32)
• Iron Man: Russel Dryer
• Iron Woman: Paddy Williams

Oldest finisher: Fred Kolb, age 70 (no time found)
Men competing: (not found)
Women competing: (not found)
Total no. of competitors: [outstanding]

With Butcher in the USA and the dam at only 43% full, new names emerged on the podium. Vance Sterley would claim his first win in a time of 19:30.20, followed closely by Stephen Cromarty and Pierre Snoep in times of 19:35 and 19:50 respectively. 

Sue Erasmus would better her third place in 1980 with victory in 1983 at a time of 21:00.71. She was followed by Gail Jeffrey and Lauren Brukman with times of 21:18 and 21:53 respectively. 

This year saw the first physically disabled swimmer competing in the mile.

“Mrs Nesta Farrington, whose right leg is paralysed, vowed to show the world “just how much a cripple can do” after her son's teacher said handicapped people should not be allowed to live” - SUNDAY TIMES, by Val Carter-Johnson.

“When I heard what that teacher had told a group of impressionable teenagers I wondered how many other people thought the same way he did - and I decided to show the world exactly how much cripples can do,” said Mrs Farrington.

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1984

• Men’s winner: Graham Hill (18:40.67)
• Men’s second: Hugh Ross (18:41.04)
• Men’s third: Craig Jackson (no time found)
• Women's winner: Lee Pennefather (19:23.08)
• Women’s second: Gail Jeffrey (19:25)
• Women’s third: Lisa Poole (no time found)
• Boys U14 winner: Paul Niemand (19:06)
• Girls U14 winner: Petro Nortjie (20:29.09)
• Iron Man: Brian Fowles
• Iron Woman: Sandy Hill

Oldest finisher: Phillip Jones, age 71 (no time found)
Men competing: (not found)
Women competing: (not found)
Total no. of competitors: 2555

Entries this year declined, dropping to 2555 after a few years close to 3000, with low water levels cited as the reason. A close race developed with Springbok, Graham Hill taking the honours from Hugh Ross by 0.8 seconds. Craig Jackson, a 1992 Olympic representative, came third. The men's race also saw the first blind swimmer competing in the race. 26-year-old Michael Park swam the race between two paddle skis, which guided him across the dam.

In the women's race, Lee Pennefather took the victory ahead of Gail Jeffrey and Lisa Poole respectively.

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1985

• Men’s winner: Graham Hill (19:09.20)
• Men’s second: Craig Jackson (no time found)
• Men’s third: Shaun Rivalland (no time found)
• Women's winner: Debbie Wade (20:46.41)
• Women’s second: Lee Pennefather (no time found)
• Women’s third: Lisa Poole (no time found)
• Boys U14 winner: Paul Niemand (19:57.15)
• Girls U14 winner: Petro Nortjie (20:20.97)
• Iron Man: Brian Fowles
• Iron Woman: Gerry King

Oldest finisher: Phillip Jones, age 73 (no time found)
Men competing: (not found)
Women competing: (not found)
Total no. of competitors: 3000+

1985 saw a 25% increase in entries, bringing them back to over 3000. Despite the increase of entries, only 2454 swimmers between the ages of six and 75 competed due to heavy rains.

Graham Hill took his second win ahead of Craig Jackson with Shaun Rivalland in third. Debbie Wade blocked Lee Pennefather from taking her second title with Lisa Poole securing third place once again.

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1986

• Men’s winner: Shaun Rivalland (19:41.71)
• Men’s second: Graham Hill (no time found)
• Men’s third: Craig Jackson (no time found)
• Women's winner: Petro Nortjie (20:40.44)
• Women’s second: Debbie Wade (no time found)
• Women’s third: Lee Pennefather (no time found)
• Boys U14 winner: B. Bossenger (23:11.31)
• Girls U14 winner: Natalie Mawdsley (22:37.99)
• Iron Man: Brian Fowles
• Iron Woman: Karen O’Reilly

Oldest finisher: George May, age 70 (no time found)
Men competing: (not found)
Women competing: (not found)
Total no. of competitors: 3300+

With 3300 entries and despite very cold weather, Shaun Rivalland was able to secure the win in the men's event ahead of Graham Hill and Craig Jackson, preventing Hill from being the first male to secure three consecutive wins.

Petro Nortjie claimed the victory in the women’s section after having won the girls under 14 for the previous two years. Right behind her was the previous year’s winner, Debbie Wade and Lee Pennefather.

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1987

• Men’s winner: Craig Lilford (18:49.55)
• Men’s second: Alan Lonsdale (18:57.79)
• Men’s third: Graham Hill (19:22.97)
• Women's winner: Hayley Bertram (21:59.03)
• Women’s second: Yvonne Blake (20:09.90)
• Women’s third: Uta Fritsch (20:11.00)
• Boys U14 winner: Evan Sim (19:22.97)
• Girls U14 winner: Clare Wayne (21:01.16)
• Iron Man: Kenny Reynolds
• Iron Woman: Jean Muir

Oldest finisher: Fred Kolb, age 74 (no time found)
Men competing: (not found)
Women competing: (not found)
Total no. of competitors: 3533

The term “Midmar Mile Mania” emerged this year, with more than 3500 entries. New names surfaced from the dam, with Craig Lilford on the top of the podium in the men's event. Following closely behind was Alan Lonsdale and Graham Hill.

The women’s section also saw the emergence of new winners. Hayley Bertram took the lead, followed by Yvonne Blake and Uta Fritsch.

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1988

• Men’s winner: Alan Lonsdale (20:44.78)
• Men’s second: Simon Lessing (no time found)
• Men’s third: Shaun Rivalland (no time found)
• Women's winner: Hayley Bertram (21:59.03)
• Women’s second: M. Jackson (22:21)
• Women’s third: B. Kapp (22:36)
• Boys U14 winner: Mark Duncan (21:43.21)
• Girls U14 winner: Sarah Walter (20:59.53)
• Iron Man: Nick Buster
• Iron Woman: Marlene Boshoff

Oldest finisher: Phil Jones, age 75 (no time found)
Men competing: (not found)
Women competing: (not found)
Total no. of competitors: 3916

Alan Lonsdale bettered his performance to win in 1988 as entries reached 3916, beating Simon Lessing (who became the World Triathlon Champion a few years later) and Shaun Rivalland. 

Hayley Bertram raced to her second title ahead of M. Jackson and B. Kapp.

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1989

• Men’s winner: Andrew O’Flaherty (18:13.01)
• Men’s second: Alan Lonsdale (18:42)
• Men’s third: Warren Cronje (19:15)
• Women's winner: Debbie Hope (20:30.35)
• Women’s second: Keryn Henwood (20:30)
• Women’s third: Sarah Walter (20:40)
• Boys U14 winner: Matthew Gibbs (20:40.57)
• Girls U14 winner: Candice Botha (22:05.93)
• Iron Man: Nic Bester
• Iron Woman: Sally Bantock

Oldest finisher: Phil Jones, age 76 (46:35)
Men competing: (not found)
Women competing: (not found)
Total no. of competitors: 3796

Another rainy year with much drama, 1989 saw the entries decline slightly to 3796 entrants with 2987 finishers. Hayley Bertram, the women’s winner from the previous year, was unable to swim as her entry arrived late. More drama ensued in the women's event when two swimmers rushed onto the slipway only to be disqualified from the women's event – they had competed in another swimmers place, which is not permitted.

Debbie Hope was declared the winner, followed by Keryn Henwood and Sarah Walter. Andrew O’ Flaherty became the first swimmer outside of Natal to win when he finished ahead of Alan Lonsdale and Warren Cronje.

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1990

• Men’s winner: Alan Lonsdale (19:21.21)
• Men’s second: Andrew O’Flahert (19:46.61)
• Men’s third: John Velloza (20:22.86)
• Women's winner: Natasha Figge (20:12.24)
• Women’s second: Kerry McIver (22:31.22)
• Women’s third: Sarah Walter (21:46.61)
• Boys U14 winner: Conrad Meyer (21:26.78)
• Girls U14 winner: Zonya Kritzinger (21:45.62)
• Iron Man: Wayne Riddin
• Iron Woman: Sally Bantock

Oldest finishers: George May, age 75 (37:23)
R.W. Sandifer, age 75 (41:35)

Men competing: (not found)
Women competing: (not found)
Total no. of competitors: 3983

 This was a record field with just under 4000 swimmers. Natasha Figge recorded her first official victory. Figge swam the previous year and came out on top, however she was disqualified for swimming unofficially. Kerry McIver and Sarah Walter came second and third respectively.

This year, Alan Lonsdale edged out Andrew O’Flaherty while third place went to John Velloza.

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1991

• Men’s winner: John Velloza (21:28.52)
• Men’s second: Manie Wessels (21:29.10)
• Men’s third: Dylon Botha (21:30.32)
• Women's winner: Natasha Figge (22:21.44)
• Women’s second: Janion Fraser (23:54.67)
• Women’s third: Bianca Duxbury (24:20.17)
• Boys U14 winner: Mark Jollands (22:58.49)
• Girls U14 winner: Michaela Pridemore (29:59.24)
• Iron Man: Wayne Riddin
• Iron Woman: Mariene Loewenstein

Oldest finisher: George May, age 76 (43:06)
Men competing: (not found)
Women competing: (not found)
Total no. of competitors: 4890

Entries this year were at an all-time high, increasing by almost 1000 swimmers from the previous year. This, combined with the dam being 100% full, lead to stiff competition in the main events.

John Velloza upgraded his place from third in 1990 to first in 1991, winning by a mere 0.62 seconds ahead of Manie Wessels, with Dylon Botha in third and Andrew O’Flaherty coming in fourth. Natasha Figge out-swam the competition, claiming her second victory over Janion Fraser and Bianca Duxbury. 

Ray Fish, the entries organiser, would step down this year after many years of service to the event. Wayne Riddin would come on as the event organiser the following year.

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1992

• Men’s winner: Paul Fryer (19:25.14)
• Men’s second: Dylan Botha (19:39)
• Men’s third: Brynn Andrew (19:47)
• Women's winner: Natasha Figge (19:52)
• Women’s second: Paula Humphreys (21:06)
• Women’s third: Birget Haver (21:07)
• Boys U14 winner: Gareth Fowler (20:57)
• Girls U14 winner: Megan Bydawell (20:45)
• Iron Man: Wayne Riddin
• Iron Woman: Terry Catterall

Oldest finisher: George May, age 77 (36:28)
Men competing: (not found)
Women competing: (not found)
Total no. of competitors: 4800

With a new organising committee and the introduction of the seeding system, entries rocketed to 4800 and the event was computerised for the first time.

Springbok, Paul Fryer kept the title in the Transvaal with an eight-second victory over Dylan Botha, who was followed by Brynn Andrew. Natasha Figge claimed her third victory with Paula Humphreys and Birget Haver following.

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1993

• Men’s winner: Paul Fryer (23:04)
• Men’s second: Gregg Pietersen (24:07)
• Men’s third: Matthew Gibbs (24:15)
• Women's winner: Natasha Figge (24:33)
• Women’s second: Michaela Pridemore (no time found)
• Women’s third: Sarah van der Berg (no time found)
• Boys U14 winner: Gareth Fowler (24:56)
• Girls U14 winner: Kirsten van Heerden (23:10)
• Iron Man: Wayne Riddin
• Iron Woman: Katherine Catterick

Oldest finisher: George May, age 78 (48:38)
Men competing: (not found)
Women competing: (not found)
Total no. of competitors: 4724

Paul Fryer won by the biggest margin in the men’s event in 1993, one minute and three seconds ahead of Gregg Pietersen in second with Matthew Gibbs in third. Natasha Figge continued her domination with Michaela Pridemore and Sarah van den Berg in second and third respectively. Times were slower this year, as the course had to be altered to accommodate the low level of the dam. The start was moved to the Morgenzon campsite and therefore slightly longer than other years: approximately 200 metres further.

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1994

• Men’s winner: Ryk Neethling (19:36)
• Men’s second: Lourens Appelcryn (19:45.89)
• Men’s third: Paul Fryer (19:46.18)
• Women's winner: Natasha Figge (19:55)
• Women’s second: Janion Fraser (20:16.91)
• Women’s third: Bronwyn Roux (20:51.69)
• Boys U14 winner: Terrence Parkin (20:48.46)
• Girls U14 winner: Sheona Lottering (20:00.21)
• Iron Man: Wayne Riddin
• Iron Woman: Terry Catteral

Oldest finisher: George May, age 79 (39:41.69)
Men competing: (not found)
Women competing: (not found)
Total no. of competitors: 5027

Free State made their presence felt in 1994 with world-ranked distance freestyle specialist, Ryk Neethling. Less than ten seconds behind him was Louwrens Appelcryn, followed by previous year’s winner, Paul Fryer in third. Natasha Figge won her fifth title, with Janion Fraser taking second and Brownwyn Roux taking third. The women's section was dominated by Transvaal swimmers.

This year saw a record-breaking number of entries, finally tipping over 5000 with 5027 entries.

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1995

• Men’s winner: Ryk Neethling (17:17.04)
• Men’s second: Ryno Markgraaf (no time found)
• Men’s third: Anthony Rocchi (no time found)
• Women's winner: Natasha Figge (18:13)
• Women’s second: Robyn Bradley (no time found)
• Women’s third: Sheona Lottering (no time found)
• Boys U14 winner: K. Smith (19:55)
• Girls U14 winner: Donna Leslie (20:12)
• Iron Man: Mike de Villiers
• Iron Woman: Shirley Mackay

Oldest finisher: Colin Cable, age 84 (no time found)
Men competing: (not found)
Women competing: (not found)
Total no. of competitors: 6140

1995 produced record breakers again: 6140 entries (1000 more entries than the previous year) with Ryk Neethling clocking the fastest time ever in a slightly lower dam level, and Natasha Figge equalling Pat Butchers’ record in the women’s race. Ryno Markgraaf followed Neethling with Anthony Rocchi coming third in the men. In the women’s race, Robyn Bradley made her mark with a second behind Figge; Sheona Lottering was third.

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1996

• Men’s winner: Gareth Fowler (19:05)
• Men’s second: Clinton Holroyd (19:14)
• Men’s third: Carl Storm (19:28)
• Women's winner: Sheona Lottering (19:55)
• Women’s second: Alison Walker (no time found)
• Women’s third: Donna Leslie (no time found)
• Boys U14 winner: M. Corazza (20:39)
• Girls U14 winner: D. Martin (21:05)
• Iron Man: (not found)
• Iron Woman: (not found)

Oldest finisher: George May, age 80 (39:50)
Men competing: (not found)
Women competing: (not found)
Total no. of competitors: 9225

This was another year of record breaking entries, as more than 3000 more swimmers entered to compete, bringing the total number of entries to 9225.

Ryk Neethling failed to enter in 1996 due to his selection to represent South Africa at the Olympic Games, leaving the winning spot open for the taking. This allowed Gareth Fowler to emerge as the new winner after an interesting tussle with Clinton Holroyd and Carl Storm. Sheona Lottering added the women’s title to her name after winning the girls U14 in 1994. Alison Walker took second, followed by the U14 girls winner from the previous year, Donna Leslie, coming third.

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1997

• Men’s winner: Gareth Fowler (19:35)
• Men’s second: Gustav Stander (19:38.30)
• Men’s third: Clinton Holroyd (19:43.10)
• Women's winner: Robyn Bradley (20:00)
• Women’s second: Sheona Lottering (20:52.50)
• Women’s third: Donna Leslie (21:10.40)
• Boys U14 winner: Byron Jeffers (20:09.60)
• Girls U14 winner: Jana Doyle (20:42.70)
• Iron Man: Gerald Port
• Iron Woman: Sanet Beukes

Oldest finisher: Colin Cable, age 86 (no time found)
Men competing: (not found)
Women competing: (not found)
Total no. of competitors: 9600+

The number of entries continues to rise, this year going up to over 9600. This year also saw the first serious medical emergency at the Midmar Mile. Graham Musgrave was spotted bobbing in the water and had to be airlifted to hospital after suffering a heart attack during the race.

Gareth Fowler took his second title this year, this time ahead of Gustav Stander and Clinton Holroyd respectively. Robyn Bradley improved on her second place in 1995 with an outstanding victory ahead of Sheona Lottering and Donna Leslie. 

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1998 (25th anniversary)

• Men’s winner: Jorg Hoffman (17:53) (German)
• Men’s second: Anthony Rocchi (18:24)
• Men’s third: Gareth Fowler (18:59)
• Women's winner: Donna Leslie (20:14)
• Women’s second: Brownwyn Dedekind (20:15)
• Women’s third: Sheona Lottering (20:23)
• Boys U14 winner: Anton Storm (21:13)
• Girls U14 winner: Katia Taylor (20:57)
• Iron Man: Gerald Port
• Iron Woman: Bridgette Cuthbert

Oldest finisher: Colin Cable, age 87 (no time found)
Men competing: (not found)
Women competing: (not found)
Total no. of competitors: 11 600

The Seals Midmar Mile celebrated its 25th anniversary this year, drawing a record crowd of over 11 600 swimmers to the dam. Of those 11 600, the first international winner emerged in German star, Jorg Hoffman. Hoffman surged early in the race to break away from South African swimmers, Anthony Rocchi and previous double winner, Gareth Fowler. The German hit the finish slipway in 17 minutes and 53 seconds, the second fastest time to our world-ranked double winner Ryk Neethling. Rocchi followed 31 seconds later and Fowler another 35 seconds later.

In the women's race, it was a two-way battle with emerging stars Donna Leslie and Bronwyn Dedekind as they stood up on the slipway at virtually the same time. Leslie dashed over the line just a metre ahead of Dedekind to claim the title. Sheona Lottering was also not far behind just eight seconds later after being up with Leslie and Dedekind for much of the way.

Another former German star was in the category section. Stefan Leiss made the trip out with Hoffmann but was unable to take the victory over Neal Moores in the men’s 31-40 section. Moores won in 21:22 with Leiss following over a minute later.

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1999

• Men’s winner: Rob Mackay (19:03)
• Men’s second: Carl Storm (19:10)
• Men’s third: Terence Parkin (19:18)
• Women's winner: Bronwyn Dedekind (20:23)
• Women’s second: Sheona Lottering (20:31)
• Women’s third: Wendy Henstock (20:35)
• Boys U14 winner: Troyden Prinsloo (21:45)
• Girls U14 winner: (not found)
• Iron Man: (not found)
• Iron Woman: (not found)

Oldest finisher: George May, age 83 (52:15)
Men competing: (not found)
Women competing: (not found)
Total no. of competitors: 12 572

“AWESOME”, was United States Masters swimmer, Jim Lilley’s comment after the 1999 Midmar Mile held at Midmar Dam on Sunday 14th February. The 38-year-old flight attendant made his debut in the men’s 31-40 years event among the boy’s 13 years and under and had a great race with young Troyden Prinsloo (13). Jim Lilley managed to run out the water to become the first international winner of event 2.

This year saw another record for the entries, increasing by almost 1000 to 12 572. Competitors completing the Mile swim in 1999 experienced probably some of the roughest conditions in the 26-year history of the event. However, despite the wet and rainy day, there were the least drop-outs as a record 10 045 swimmers earned themselves a valentine’s finishing medal. 

The introduction of incentives at the 400m, 800m and 1200m Ola buoys provided ample excitement for the men and women 14-30, resulting in the closest finishers amongst the top 10. Bronwyn Dedekind (17), led from the start to pick up the R400, R800 and R1200 at the ‘hotspots’ and the R1600 overall prize to swim away with a total of R4000 (making it the largest cash prize offered for swimming in South Africa at the time) for her 20:23 race. Club mate Sheona Lottering bagged the R750 runner-up while Kloof’s Wendy Henstock took the third place R250.

In the opening company event, former sprint star and professional Gladiator, Marieka Theunissen outswam the opposition to clock up an outstanding 20:30 in really rough conditions. She would have placed second and stood as a threat in the main race, which was won by Dedekind.

A three-man tussle developed in the men’s 14-30 year main race with the talented Commonwealth Games finalist Terence Parkin, Rob Mackay and Carl Storm. Parkin led through the 400m and 800m Ola buoys before Mackay aimed for the 1200m. The two pushed hard only to cross the line together and share the spoils. Soon after that, Storm attempted to make a pull away, but only Mackay managed to react to Storm’s breakaway while Parkin settled into third place. Mackay hit the slipway first in 19:03 to take the R1600 along with his incentives along the way, while Storm took the second place with R750 just seven seconds behind. 

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2000

• Men’s winner: Terence Parkin (18:46)
• Men’s second: Gareth Fowler (18:48)
• Men’s third: Rob Mackay (19:13)
• Women's winner: Marieka Theunissen (20:02)
• Women’s second: Brownwyn Dedekind (20:29)
• Women’s third: Desiree Martin (23:32)
• Boys U14 winner: Shaun Dias (21:22)
• Girls U14 winner: Nicola Stanley (20:09)
• Iron Man: Brandon Collyer
• Iron Woman: Mary Moore

Oldest finisher: George May, age 84 (55:00)
Men competing: (not found)
Women competing: (not found)
Total no. of competitors: 15 000+

The millennium swim saw another record set with over 15 000 entries. Terence Parkin took the title in a time of 18:46 ahead of previous double winner, Gareth Fowler by just two seconds, the closest finish in the history of the mile, stopping him from becoming the first man to win three times. Third place went to 1999 winner, Rob Mackay. Gladiator, Marieka Theunissen returned to win the main women’s race in 20:02 with 1999 winner, Bronwyn Dedekind second and Desiree Martin third. 

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2001

• Men’s winner: Ryk Neethling (19:27)
• Men’s second: Terrence Parkin (19:32)
• Men’s third: Anton Storm & Adrian Andermatt (19:43)
• Women's winner: Diana Hegedus (20:06) (Hungarian)
• Women’s second: Melissa Corfe (20:10)
• Women’s third: Nicola Stanley (20:32)
• Boys U14 winner: Rob Mckay (21:00)
• Girls U14 winner: (not found)
• Iron Man: Martin Dryer
• Iron Woman: Mary Moore

Oldest finisher: (not found)
Men competing: (not found)
Women competing: (not found)
Total no. of competitors: 15 000+

A record entry was received with more than 15 000 swimmers. A record entry at the dam was also recorded with some 32 000 people over the two days. The 2001 event was affected by a cholera scare despite numerous appeals to potential competitors that Midmar Dam was not affected. However, the final numbers were close to the record finishers.

2001 saw a dramatic tussle in the women’s race between two 15 year old swimmers, but it was Hungarian Diana Hegedus who put in a huge final 200m and took victory after swimming stroke for stroke with Durban’s pre-race favourite, Melissa Corfe. Third place was awarded to Nicola Stanley. Unfortunately 2000 winner Marieka Theunissen was ill and did not compete as she opted for the 5km event the next day to qualify for the World Championships.    

Ryk Neethling showed some tremendous strength over the final 300m to edge Sydney silver medallist, Terrence Parkin. He took the Ola Midmar Mile in a time of 19:27 after a dramatic last sprint with top swimmers taking numerous lines in to the finish line. Third place was shared by two swimmers, Anton Storm and Adrian Andermatt in a time of 19:43.

Ryk felt that his main threat was always going to be from Parkin. “I decided to stay with Terrence as I know that he’s a big strong guy and would be the one to beat. I sat on his shoulder and waited until we came into the final section of the race and then gave it my all. I really didn’t know where everyone else was other than Terrence.” Neethling became the first three-time winner of the event after his previous victories in 1994 and his record-breaking victory in 1995. “I’ll definitely be back again and hopefully next time there will be some top international swimmers here as well.”

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2002

• Men’s winner: Terence Parkin (18:45)
• Men’s second: Gareth Fowler (18:46)
• Men’s third: Troyden Prinsloo (18:56)
• Women's winner: Diana Hegedus (19:24) (Hungarian)
• Women’s second: Cheryl Townsend (19:29)
• Women’s third: Melissa Corfe (19:36)
• Boys U14 winner: Peter Todd (20:13)
• Girls U14 winner: Bianca Meyer (20:20)
• Iron Man: Brandon Collyer
• Iron Woman: Carol Mercer

Oldest finisher: Dulcie Clarke, age 80 (54:13)
Men competing: (not found)
Women competing: (not found)
Total no. of competitors: 15 000+

The 2002 Ola-Telkom Midmar Mile proved to be a success once again with a staggering 15 000+ swimmers completing the Mile. With new product sponsors, Energade providing a 500ml bottle of Energade to each finisher and with the TV package securing four showings of a 52 minute programme on Mnet Supersport, the 2003 event is bound to draw more attention.

The races were certainly among the best ever with Terence Parkin, Gareth Fowler, Troyden Prinsloo, Geoff Norton and Anton Storm in the thick of things. But it was Parkin who stopped a determined Fowler from becoming the second male competitor from winning a third title along with Ryk Neethling. Just two seconds separated the two club mates as they raced across the line with Parkin now putting himself in line to win a third title in 2003 after his superb victory in similar circumstances in 2000.

The big disappointment was Olympian and three-time Midmar Mile Champion, Ryk Neethling not obtaining his visa in time to travel from the USA. The women’s main race proved to be another exciting dash for cash across the line. While Hungarian Diana Hegedus repeated her victory from 2001, it was young Cheryl Townsend who set the pace for most of the way only to have Hegedus edge ahead on the final 100m to win by five seconds.

Race favourite, Melissa Corfe did not have a comfortable race and ended up racing for the minor placings with the brave Natalie du Toit competing in her first Midmar Mile. Corfe passed Du Toit up the slipway and at the prize-giving awarded her third place to the Capetonian. A brave Du Toit has taken the world by storm since losing her leg in a car accident the previous year. Her remarkable achievements have shown many that a setback in one's life can be turned into positive attitudes for all. It is seldom one doesn’t see Natalie du Toit sporting a smile. 

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2003 (30th anniversary)

• Men’s winner: Gareth Fowler (18:35)
• Men’s second: Shaun Dias (18:42)
• Men’s third: Ryk Neethling (18:45)
• Women's winner: Melissa Corfe (19:21)
• Women’s second: Cheryl Townsend (19:51)
• Women’s third: Diana Hegedus (19:56) (Hungarian)
• Boys U14 winner: Riaan Schoeman (19:12)
• Girls U14 winner: Bianca Meyer (18:40)
• Iron Man: Lance Chapman
• Iron Woman: Susan Chapman

Oldest finisher: (not found)
Men competing: (not found)
Women competing: (not found)
Total no. of competitors: 16 050

For the 2003 Halfway-Telkom Midmar Mile, there was one major change in the programme with the Iron Man/Biathlon and Disabled sections moving to the first event on the Saturday instead of being the last. Another big adjustment was the moving of the date forward by one week to accommodate the opening of the World Cup cricket in Cape Town on 8th February.

The 2003 Halfway-Telkom Midmar Mile broke into new levels as 16 050 entries were received for the world’s largest open water swimming extravaganza at Midmar Dam on the 1st and 2nd of February. With a number of top international swimmers making their debut, the event received another boost with double Olympic champion, Penny Heyns and NOSCA chief, Sam Rams attending as guests.

Near-perfect weather conditions aided the best event to date in the 30 years’ history of the Midmar Mile. The water level of Midmar Dam was at a low of 69% due to the raising of the dam wall, leading to a number of record performances among the age group events.

But it was Gareth Fowler (23) who had the biggest smile as he caused a major upset in the main men’s event and became the second male next to Ryk Neethling to win the Midmar Mile men’s event for the third time. Fowler had to overcome a strong challenge from Shaun Dias at the end and his two previous defeats by Terrence Parkin saw him turn the tables on Dias to get the better exit from the water and sprint to the finish line. Troyden Prinsloo swam extremely wide out of the right hand side and this turned out to be his downfall as he came through in third place, matching his previous year’s result. 

Melissa Corfe was in a league of her own in the main women’s event and she managed to lead from start to finish, accumulating all the hotspots and the winner’s prize to take home her best pay to date, R9800.

Cheryl Townsend repeated her 2002 performance as she raced home second after taking the far left hand route that surely would have disadvantaged her. Last year’s winner, Diana Hegedus from Hungary had to be content with her third place this year while another outstanding result came from Belarus visitor, Alena Popchanka who finished fourth on her debut swim.

Popchanka and her teammate Anna Scherba were both training at the Seals High Performance centre until the Telkom SA Championships in April. Both were ranked in the top three in the world, with Popchanka having won the 100m freestyle at the Paris World Cup and Scherba finishing second in the 200m IM at the same meet.

In the junior ranks, young Bianca Meyer repeated her easy victory in the girls 13 years and under category, as did Nicola Durrheim (31-40) and Rita Townsend (41-50) while Marissa Rollnick took her first 51 years and over title in her first appearance in the new age division. The boys 13 years and under proved the closest race with young Riaan Schoeman overtaking Chad Ho on the exit out the water to snatch the victory with the top six just eight seconds apart.

Darryl Cronje (35) mixed it most of the way with the juniors but fell off the pace right at the end to win the 31-40 years section and end in seventh position overall. A new name emerged in the victory ranks in the 41-50 years section as Mike Semple (45) edged out Phillip Chappel (41) and last year’s winner, Greg Price (42). It was again Terry Downes (53) who triumphed in the 51 years and over category with Peter Bees (51) following some 30 seconds later.

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2004

• Men’s winner: Przemek Stancyzk (17:13) (Poland)
• Men’s second: Troyden Prinsloo (17:20)
• Men’s third: Gareth Fowler (17:23)
• Women's winner: Keri-Anne Payne (17:41) (Britain)
• Women’s second: Melissa Corfe (18:05)
• Women’s third: Cheryl Townsend (18:46)
• Boys U14 winner: Chad Ho (18:30)
• Girls U14 winner: Christy-Leigh Lategan (19:16)
• Iron Man: Lance Chapman
• Iron Woman: Susan Chapman

Oldest finisher: (not found)
Men competing: 9502
Women competing: 7830
Total no. of competitors: 17 332

International swimmers held their own against stiff South African competition in a field of more than 17 000 at the 31st Midmar Mile. 18-year-old Polish star, Przemek Stanczyk led the men’s event from start to finish, setting a record of 17 minutes and 13 seconds. It was Stanczyk’s first open water event ever. “The swim was good, but hard,” he said. “It is amazing for me, I am very happy to be here with all the swimmers from Africa and all over the world. The Polish teenager already hopes to come back to swim the Midmar Mile again next year.

Seven seconds behind him was Kearsney College student, Troyden Prinsloo, 18, who battled with the 70m run-in and 40m sprint-out because of torn ligaments in his left foot. “The swim didn’t go as well as I expected it to. I got left behind at the start,” he said. “I knew that Stanczyk was going to be tough competition.” Gareth Fowler’s hopes of becoming the first male to win the mile four times were dashed when he took third position with a personal best time of 17 minutes and 23 seconds.

In the women's race, Britain's Keri-Anne Payne, 16, set a scorching new record of 17 minutes and 40 seconds. “I had a slow start because I had to fight through the crowds but once I reached the 400m-mark I started to pick up my stroke,” she said. “I am really happy with the way that I swam.” Johannesburg-born Payne won the girls 13 years and under section in 2001 before leaving for Manchester. Just off the pace was last year’s winner, Melissa Corfe, 18, who finished in a time of 18 minutes and four seconds. Durban-based Corfe swam her 11th Midmar Mile well under record time, and said she was pleased with her performance. “Dams are tricky things, but I had a good swim,” she said.

In third place was Pietermaritzburg-based Cheryl Townsend, a grade 12 student at Wykeham Collegiate. “The start is always nerve-wracking, but once the gun goes and I am in the water I start enjoying myself,” she said. The Townsend family covered themselves in glory over the weekend as older brother, Darian finished seventh in the men’s section, and mother, Rita won the women’s 41-50 year category for the seventh time in a row, in a time of 21 minutes and 11 seconds. Meanwhile, father, Ted competed all eight miles over the weekend as a member of the “8-Mile Club” charity swimmers.

Chad Ho claimed his first victory in the boys 13 years and under, in a record time of 18 minutes and 29 seconds, while Christy-Leigh Lategan won the girls 13 years and under with a personal-best time of 19 minutes and 15 seconds.

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2005

• Men’s winner: Troyden Prinsloo (18:28)
• Men’s second: Martin van Weidjen (18:40) (Holland)
• Men’s third: Gareth Fowler (19:08)
• Women's winner: Keri-Anne Payne (18:43)
• Women’s second: Edith van Dijk (18:55) (Holland)
• Women’s third: Melissa Corfe (19:27)
• Boys U14 winner: Myles Brown (20:19)
• Girls U14 winner: Nerine Grundlingh (21:40)
• Iron Man: Lance Chapman
• Iron Woman: Susan Chapman

Oldest finisher: Lorna Cocharan, age 81 (1:03.54)
Men competing: 9499
Women competing: 7588
Total no. of competitors: 17 087

The 2005 Midmar Mile produced top class performances from the winners, but they weren’t the only ones that caught the eye. Some swimmers impressed with their remarkable endurance, while others showed tremendous courage as the world’s largest open water swimming event drew 17 087 entrants. Just a week prior to the Midmar Mile the dam had started to overflow for the first time since the wall was raised two years ago. The higher water level meant the longest swim yet at 1639 metres.

Sam Greetham, a member of the swimming world governing body FINA’s open water technical committee, was at the Midmar Mile as a guest of the sponsors. Greetham said he wanted to propose to FINA that the next year’s SA national championships be held in conjunction with a leg of the World Cup, with the Midmar Mile as the showpiece. “Nothing I have seen comes anywhere near the Midmar Mile”, Greetham said. “Both in terms of number of participants, tip-top organisation, security and safety aspects, and the interaction between the participants and the public.

Troyden Prinsloo, the runner-up in 2004, moved up one position to capture first place for the first time, with a winning time of 18 minutes and 28 seconds. Dutch swimmer, Maarten van der Weidien had to settle for second after a tremendous tussle with Prinsloo, 12 seconds in arrears. Third place went to Gareth Fowler, a former two-time winner of the race, who returned from the interprovincial Lifesaving Championship in Port Elizabeth on Saturday night only.

South African-born Keri-Anne Payne, now swimming for Britain, was successful in her defence of the women’s title that she won in record time in 2004, when the dam was at a very low level. Her main challenge came from Dutch 25-kilometre open water champion, Edith van Dijk who finished 12 seconds in arrears of Payne’s winning time of 18 minutes and 43 seconds. South Africa’s Melissa Corfe, who exhibited impressive form in Moscow at the World Cup, winning bronze in the 400 metres, fell off the pace after 400 metres, and had to settle for third, more than half a minute behind Van Dijk.

Terence Parkin captured fourth spot in 19:10, just two seconds behind Fowler. It was the culmination of a remarkable weekend for the former Olympic silver medallist, who swam all four men’s races on the Saturday and all four on Sunday. His time in the men’s 14 to 30 race was his best of the lot. Incredibly, Parkin won six of the eight races he entered. His other two finishers were both in the top five. “I would like to do it next year”, he said afterwards. His eight-race effort was part of a fundraising campaign that the star of the Deaflympics had undertaken to raise money for the SA Deaf Association.

Sibusiso Mogale, a 17-year-old from Johannesburg, captured the hearts of spectators and the Courage Trophy after he finished tenth in the race for disabled swimmers. Mogale has no arms, but he didn’t allow that to hold him back, as he finished in just under 40 minutes. He admitted that the race was tough, saying he used all four strokes on his way to finishing the race. “I am so proud, but I made it,” he said.

The junior titles went to Nerine Grundling, winning the girls 13 years and under, while Myles Brown went on to win the boys 13 and under section.

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2006

• Men’s winner: Troyden Prinsloo (17:47)
• Men’s second: Kurtis McGillivray (18:13)
• Men’s third: Chad Ho (18:17)
• Women's winner: Keri-Anne Payne (18:21) (Britain)
• Women’s second: Mellissa Gorman (18:26)
• Women’s third: Cassie Patten (18:50)
• Boys U14 winner: Myles Brown (20:06)
• Girls U14 winner: Che Fryer (21:07)
• Iron Man: Lance Chapman
• Iron Woman: Susan Chapman

Oldest finisher: (not found)
Men competing: 9418
Women competing: 7435
Total no. of competitors: 16 983

2006 saw Troyden Prinsloo claiming his second win in a time of 17 minutes and 47 seconds. He was followed by Kurtis McGillivray and Chad Ho, finishing second and third respectively.

In the women’s race, Keri-Anne Payne dominated for her third year in a row. Following her by only five seconds was second-place winner, Mellissa Gorman. In third place was Cassie Patten.

The Minister of Sport and Recreation, Mr Amichand Rajbansi attended the last day of the Midmar Mile.

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2007

• Men’s winner: No results – Race cancelled
• Women's winner: Melissa Gorman (19:51) (Australia)
• Women’s second: Melissa Corfe (20:08)
• Women’s third: Keri-Anne Payne (20:11) (Britain)
• Boys U14 winner: David Sibalin (21:24)
• Girls U14 winner: Anna Olasz (22:07)
• Iron Man: Guy Cluver
• Iron Woman: Heather Wenke

Oldest finisher: Lorna Cochran, age 83 (59:34)
Roy Rees, age 83 (52:32)
Men competing: 9418
Women competing: 7435
Total no. of competitors: 16 983

There was high drama at the world’s largest open water swimming event on Sunday when the final race, for boys and men aged 14 to 30, was cancelled due to bad weather: the first time in the Midmar Mile’s 34-year history that a race has been called off.

Raced over two days, with four races each day, conditions for the Midmar Mile on Saturday were scorching, with the temperatures in the mid-thirties before discomfort index was taken into consideration. On Sunday, it was a different story altogether. It rained throughout Saturday evening and into the new day. A light sprinkling of rain fell consistently through Sunday’s first race, the girls 13 and under and women’s 31 and older. During event two, the boys and men’s equivalent, conditions were much the same. By the third race, the women’s 14 to 30 year age group, the rain became heavier and the winds rose, bringing with them a biting cold.

Then came an announcement from race organiser, Wayne Riddin that only seeded swimmers would be allowed to contest the final race. There were plenty of shocked faces as it filtered through. Shortly afterwards the decision to cancel the race entirely followed.

For defending champion, Troyden Prinsloo who had flown out from the University of Georgia to attempt to become the first male swimmer to win the Midmar Mile three years in succession, it was a terrible blow. Prinsloo said he would have swum no matter the conditions – but he’s a world-class swimmer, unlike the majority of the field.

But 2007 will also be remembered as the year belonging to the international swimmers, as Australian visitor Melissa Gorman (21) won the women’s title against formidable opposition that included three-time winner from Britain, Keri-Anne Payne, her British training partner, Cassie Patten and South Africa’s hope, Mellissa Corfe. Only 68 seconds separated the top eight swimmers as Gorman improved on her second place the previous year to lead home a chasing Corfe and Payne within 20 seconds. But it had been Corfe who set the pace from the start to the 1200m hotspot until Gorman made her move.

A brilliant swim came from Hungarian Rita Kovacs (37) among the top women. She won the women's 31-40 years just two races earlier before taking on her younger opposition in the main race to finish seventth. It was another Hungarian domination in the girls 13 years and under event with Anna Olasz and Barbara Nagyi taking the first two positions.

In the older categories, former Springbok swimmer Bev McCarney took the women 41-50 years while Heather Campbell and Anne Jones took the women 51-60 years and women 61 and over titles. The oldest lady to finish was Lorna Cochran at 83 years.

Among the men that did get to compete the earlier event, Hungarian David Sibalin was successful while Terry Heller caused a surprise in the 31-40 years. Greg Price continued to dominate the 41-50 years as did Ted Townsend and Paul Lanterme – the 51-60 years and 61 years and over categories respectively. The oldest man to finish was Roy Rees at 83 years.

Efforts on behalf of charities were extremely successful. Members of the Eight-Mile Club were responsible for raising over R700 000 and that figure is one that was calculated before the final day’s events.

The swimmers taking part in the Eight-Mile Club swim each and every race whilst raising funds for a wide number of charities. Fourteen-year-old Myles Brown was astonishingly successful in both the races and in raising money. In seven races, he was first across the finish line on four occasions, and he also brought in R24 000.

Olympic silver medal winner and Deaflympics star, Terence Parkin was rather less fortunate. He suffered a bite from a spider and gritted his way through Saturday’s four races. However, that evening he had to be rushed to hospital as a result of the bite. A substitute swimmer, Andrew Campbell took Parkin’s place to continue raising money for the Fulton School for the Deaf.

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2008

• Men’s winner: Shaun Dias (19:05)
• Men’s second: Chad Ho (19:06)
• Men’s third: Csabo Gersack (19:19) (Hungary)
• Women's winner: Erika Hajnal (20:27) (Hungary)
• Women’s second: Melissa Corfe (20:30)
• Women’s third: Melanie Greyling (21:48)
• Boys U14 winner: Liam Hunt (21:36)
• Girls U14 winner: Kira Hauptfleisch (21:27)
• Iron Man: Roy Delhove
• Iron Woman: Kerry Koen

Oldest finisher: Lorna Cochran, age 84 (1:07:09)
Roy Rees, age 84 (1:00:35)
Men competing: (not found)
Women competing: (not found)
Total no. of competitors: 18 000

Despite rainy weather throughout Saturday, the 2008 Midmar Mile weekend was a roaring success, with excellent racing, fun and drama, slickly put together into a professional package that kept competitors and spectators well entertained at the world’s largest open water swimming event. A significantly upgraded commentary set-up worked brilliantly. For the first time, big screen televisions covered the action at both the start and finish. Besides being broadcast over a far-reaching sound-system, the commentary also went out on 100.5 FM over a 30-kilometre radius around Midmar Dam.

The primary men’s title, in the category 14-30 years, was claimed by open water swimming star, Shaun Dias in a fantastic sprint finish across the timing mat, just ahead of Chad Ho. Dias went out fast from the start, picking up hotspots wins at the 400m, 800m and 1200m marks. The final 400 metres, however, saw Ho drawing up alongside Dias to match him stroke for stroke as the finish drew near. On the banks, the crowds edged closer to the water to watch the drama unfold. Dias was first to his feet, fractionally ahead of Ho. Both immediately turned on the afterburners in a race for the line, with Dias winning in 19:05, only one second ahead of Ho. Visiting Hungarian swimmer, Csabo Gersack captured third place in 19:19.

Victory in the women’s 14-30 went Hungary’s way as Erika Hajnal out-duelled South Africa’s Melissa Corfe to win in her first go at the Midmar Mile. There were shades of 2007 as Hajnal adopted a similar line to the one used by Australia’s Melissa Gorman when she won a year earlier. Corfe took up a line that was as much as 100 metres apart from Hajnal but, after realising the Hungarian was on a better course, she moved inwards in an effort to close the gap. Despite a furious finishing burst by Corfe, she couldn’t catch Hajnal, who won in 20:27, three seconds ahead of the South African. Melanie Greyling took third place in 21:48.

Sunday morning’s first event, the women’s 13 and under and 31 and over, was won by Kira Hauptfleisch, an under 13 entrant, in a time of 21:27.

Liam Hunt was the top under 13 finisher.

Members of the 8-Mile Club, including three-time winner, Gareth Fowler, two-time champion, Terence Parkin and former Springbok prop, Adrian Garvey, completed every race in their distinctive gold caps as they raised money for charity. The Game Charity Challenge swimmers were also prominent with their pink caps as they too swam for charity. In the company relay, 87 swimmers from Game Stores took to the water, with Game donating R1000 for each swimmer that took part.

Roy Delhove claimed the Ironman title, including all three events, while Kerry Koen was crowned women’s champion.

It was at the back-end of the family relay that the true magic of the Midmar Mile was revealed, as spouses, siblings, parents and children, grandparents and grandchildren exited the water together with mile-wide smiles, pride and love. Here and there messages in marking pens were written on swimmers’ bodies: “4 mum + dad”, “ 4 dad-zn”, and other more humorous offerings, such as “Learners, please pass”.

Lorna Cochran lifted the women’s record for the oldest finisher to 84 years of age, while Mike “Buthy” Arbuthnot swam the Mile for the 35th year in succession. Having been a part of the 8-Mile Club previously, he has swum the race 65 times in total!  Apart from Adrian Garvey swimming all eight events, a few other ex-Springbok rugby players were in attendance. Former captain, Gary Teichmann swam the first race, while Os du Randt was on hand to support his wife, Hannelie, who in her younger days won her national colours for swimming.

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2009

• Men’s winner: Riaan Schoeman (17:34)
• Men’s second: David Verraszto (17:34) (Hungary)
• Men’s third: Chad Ho (17:35)
• Women's winner: Keri-Anne Payne (18:48) (Britain)
• Women’s second: Nadine Pastor (18:51) (Germany)
• Women’s third: Evelyn Verralzto (19:02) (Hungary)
• Boys U14 winner: Brandon Murray (19:47)
• Girls U14 winner: Michelle Weber (21:51)
• Iron Man: (not found)
• Iron Woman: (not found)

Oldest finisher: Lorna Cochran, age 85 (no time found)
Men competing: (not found)
Women competing: (not found)
Total no. of competitors: (not found)

The Halfway-Telkom Midmar Mile produced the most exciting racing in the 36-year history of the epic race as no less than 12 Olympians took to the water in the two main events at Midmar dam. This year also saw the mile being awarded with a Guinness World Record as 13 755 swimmers finished the race.

Silver medallist in Beijing in 2008, Keri-Anne Payne from Great Britain, was in an attacking mood to set the tone in the women’s 14-30 years event. She had to first shake off the Hungarian challenge from Evelyn Verralzto as they shared the 400m and 800m hotspots, before breaking away shortly before the 1200m mark to win in a time of 18:48. After the Hungarian faded slightly, Nadine Pastor from Germany surged in the final 200m to steal the second spot just three seconds behind Payne – an excellent race considering she had raced a 10km on Thursday, a 5km on Friday and the Mile on Saturday, before tackling the main race.

Leading the South African challenge was Melissa Corfe in fourth place, ending just ahead of Olympic bronze medallist Cassie Patten from Great Britain. Kathryn Meaklim had threatened early in the race without success as she took sixth place ahead of young Rene Warnes, who had a great performance among the Olympians.

Great Britain’s Alice McCall was next with Durbanite Bianca Meyer and another British Olympian, Charlotte Wooliscroft completing the most impressive top 10 ever in the women’s event.

Then the men’s 14-30 years followed with another exciting result as the organisers had to revert to video footage to declare the winner. However, the tactics from a few swimmers made it hard to predict a winner early on as Riaan Schoeman raced ahead to take the first 400m hotspot before settling back behind leaders. Chad Ho led for the next 800m as he took the next two hotspots ahead of Hungarian David Verraszto – with defending champion, Shaun Dias swimming himself out of convention by opting for the wrong course.

Germany’s Christia Reichert tried hard to surge at the end, but was showing signs of too much sun the day earlier, while Belgium’s Brian Rycheman began to feel the effects of the 10km and 5km races.

In the end, it was Schoeman and Verraszto who edged ahead and stood up together to run over the line. After checking the videos and photographs, Schoeman was awarded the victory in 17:34 while Ho followed another second later.

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2010

• Men’s winner: Chad Ho (18:39)
• Men’s second: Dan Fogg (18:40) (Britain)
• Men’s third: Riaan Schoeman (18:42)
• Women's winner: Keri-Anne Payne (19:24) (Britain)
• Women’s second: Katy Whitfield (19:27) (Britain)
• Women’s third: Cassandra Patten (19:30) (Britain)
• Boys U14 winner: Ryno Markgraaff (20:50)
• Girls U14 winner:  Michelle Weber (22:00)
• Iron Man: (not found)
• Iron Woman: (not found)

Oldest finisher: Lorna Cochran, age 86 (1:25:10)
Roy Rees, age 86 (59:18)

Men competing: (not found)
Women competing: (not found)
Total no. of competitors: 16 200+

South Africa’s 2010 Midmar Mile drew over 16 200 entries, with more than 14 200 finishers – considerably higher than the 13 755 finishers that earned the event a Guinness World Record in 2009.

The action began before 8am on Saturday the 13th February when Terence Parkin, the most successful athlete in the history of the Deaflympics, set off a record attempt aimed at raising funds for the Saint Vincent School for the Deaf. A member of the Eight-Mile Club, Parkin began his day from the finish, swimming to the start for the beginning of event number one. From that point, he joined in the race on his way to swimming 16 miles over the course of the weekend.

On Sunday, the women's 14 to 30 race was dominated by British swimmers, who occupied the first five places. Katy Whitfield set the early pace, leading the way through the hot spots. However, once the race reached about 1300m, defending champion, Keri-Anne Payne, the world 10-kilometre champion, took over at the front and opened up a small gap on her compatriots. She crossed the line in 19:27 to win the Midmar Mile for the fifth time, only one victory less than the record six victories held by Natasha Figge. Whitfield was second, three seconds behind Payne, with Cassie Patten a further three seconds back. Kathryn Meaklim was South Africa’s top performer, finishing in sixth place in 14:20.

The men’s race proved to be one of the closest in the 37-year history of the Midmar Mile. Chad Ho took the early lead, followed by Heerden Herman and Danie Marais. Just behind them was defending champion, Riaan Schoeman, former champion, Shaun Dias, and the German pair of Alex Studzinski and Christian Reichert. As the finishing line neared the race became even tighter with Myles Brown and Daniel Fogg moving up to challenge.

With just 200m to go, six men were still in the chance of victory. Schoeman put in a spurt, but Ho and Studzinski answered him, while Fogg upped his pace to take a slight lead. Fogg held a slight advantage at the slipway, but Ho edged ahead and took victory in 18:39, with Fogg being credited with a time of 18:40. Schoeman was third in 18:42.

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2011

• Men’s winner: Chad Ho (18:27)
• Men’s second: David Davies (18:38)
• Men’s third: Alfie Howes (18:47)
• Women's winner: Keri-Anne Payne (18:51)
• Women’s second: Cassandra Patten (19:28)
• Women’s third: Charlotte Woolliscroft (19:34)
• Boys U14 winner: Matthew Meyer (20:59)
• Girls U14 winner: Marlies Ross (20:46)
• Iron Man: (not found)
• Iron Woman: (not found)

Oldest finisher: Lorna Cochran, age 87 (no time found)
Men competing: (not found)
Women competing: (not found)
Total no. of competitors: 8000+

Swimming in ideal conditions at the popular Midlands lake resort, around 8000 swimmers had signed up for the world's largest open water swim event with a new claim for the most finishers expected to go to the Guinness Book of Records.

Local swimmer, Chad Ho lived up to his own expectations at the 38th aQuellé Midmar Mile when he successfully defended his title in the men’s open event against some formidable opposition. This included Britain’s David Davies, the only swimmer to have medalled in both pool and open water world events. Ho got off to a slow start, but was able to take the win in a time of 18:27, with Davies coming second in 18:38. Third place went to Howes in 18:47. “Apart from the slow start I got I was quite satisfied with my performance and achieved what I set out to do and that was to make it to two wins in a row,” said Ho.

The women’s open event went according to plan for top UK open water swimmer, Keri-Anne Payne, who tore through the race to win in a time of 18:51. Her teammates, Cassandra Patten (19:28) and Charlotte Woolliscroft (19:34) came through second and third respectively, with Michelle Weber (19:42) the first South African to cross the line in fourth place. “It’s always very special for me to return to Midmar as I am Johannesburg-born and a South African at heart,” said Payne. Payne’s win brought her total of wins in the women’s open category to a record-equalling six, a feat achieved by Natasha Figg with successive victories between 1990-1995.

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2012

• Men’s winner: Chad Ho (18:48)
• Men’s second: Troyden Prinsloo (19:09)
• Men’s third: Federico Colbertaldo (19:24)
• Women's winner: Keri-Anne Payne (20:44)
• Women’s second: Ashley Twichell (20:46) (America)
• Women’s third: Danielle Hall-Jackson (21:03)
• Boys U14 winner: Matthew Mark Meyer (21:30)
• Girls U14 winner: Savannah Barman (23:35)
• Iron Man: (not found)
• Iron Woman: (not found)

Oldest finisher: Lorna Cochran, age 88 (1:21:17)
Men competing: (not found)
Women competing: (not found)
Total no. of competitors: 17 000+

Two important records fell in the 2012 aQuellé Midmar Mile as South Africa’s Chad Ho won the men’s title and Great Britain’s Keri-Anne Payne claimed the women’s honours.

Ho became the first swimmer to win the men’s title three years in a row in the 39th edition of the race, while Payne was pushed all the way to the finish line by American Ashley Twichell before securing a record-setting seventh women’s victory. Assessing the performances of the winners, event organiser Wayne Ridden said: “This is the way the Midmar Mile is heading,” in reference to the world-class performances by two world-class swimmers. Ridden expects that the event will continue to grow and attract ever-stronger fields.

With the finishing line in sight, Payne managed to sneak a small lead. She exited the water and after a short dash for the line secured victory in 20:44, almost two minutes slower than her winning time of 2011. Twichell finished just under two seconds after Payne, with Danielle Hall-Jackson of the British team in third after an impressive swim, in 21:03. Rene Warners was the leading South African swimmer, crossing the line in fifth place in 22:23.

From the start of the men’s section, Ho dictated how the race would be swum. After only 400m, he had opened up a good lead which had grown to 25m by halfway. A strong surge towards the end, he crossed the line in 18:48 for a superb victory. “This race means so much to me and winning it three times in a row is really special,” said Ho after his victory. Prinsloo came home second, in 19:09, with Colbertaldo in third, in 19:30, six seconds clear of Schoeman.

There was a notable achievement by Lorna Cochran in the very first race of the Midmar Mile on the Saturday. The 88-year-old from Cape Town became the oldest female finisher in the history of the event, crossing the line in an hour and 20 minutes.

Mike Arbuthnot, one of the event’s founders, and the only man to officially swim in it each and every year, swam four events to take his number of crossings to 78 at age 79. Arbuthnot, who sports the number one in honour of what he means to the Midmar Mile, planned to swim in two races the following year to take his total number of crossings to 80 at the age of 80.

Mervyn Bremner, who heads up the Eight Mile Club, became the first person to swim more than 100 Midmar Miles. He finished the weekend with a stunning 102 to his name.

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2013 (40th anniversary)

• Men’s winner: Chad Ho (17:57)
• Men’s second: Troyden Prinsloo (18:08)
• Men’s third: Danie Marais (18:09)
• Women's winner: Ashley Twichell (19:04) (America)
• Women’s second: Keri-Anne Payne (19:21) (Britain)
• Women’s third: Michelle Weber (19:29)
• Boys U14 winner: Reuben Schoeman (20:58)
• Girls U14 winner: Tasmin Tennant (21:54)
• Iron Man: (not found)
• Iron Woman: (not found)

Oldest finisher: Lorna Cochran, age 89 (1:22:50)
Men competing: (not found)
Women competing: (not found)
Total no. of competitors: (not found)

South Africa’s aQuellé Midmar Mile celebrated its 40th anniversary in style with an entry that beat its own world record, some remarkable competitors, top performers in the men’s and women’s open races, and beautiful weather and water conditions at the Midmar Dam.

Chad Ho became the first man to win the Midmar Mile four years in succession. He was chased hard by London Olympian, Troyden Prinsloo, but Prinsloo conceded: “I tried to chase Chad. I tried to pass him, but he just had better speed than me today.”

In the women’s race, Ashley Twichell dominated, taking a lead early on. She made it to the finish line in 19:04, followed by Keri-Anne Payne (19:21) and Michelle Weber (19:29).

There was also a remarkable performance by American motivational speaker, Craig Dietz. Dietz has no limbs, but has not let that hold him back in life. He is an adept open water swimmer, having swum distances far greater than the Mile. Being part of the world’s largest open water swimming event was a highlight for him. “It was great. There were so many people around and I’ve never done an event where there are so many people swimming around you, so I loved it,” Dietz said after completing his Saturday swim in 37:10. “You get bumped and kicked a couple times, but I’d rather have that than be out there by myself.”

Dietz enjoyed his swim so much, he returned for an unplanned second mile on Saturday. His wife, Christy, talking from the boat of race director, Wayne Riddin, remarked that it was great to get to see an event and the effect her husband, Craig has on other people through their eyes. Dietz has received an official recognition for his inspirational performance when he was chosen as the winner of the Courage Trophy.

There was another remarkable performance from Lorna Cochran. She became the oldest ever finisher at the age of 89, battering the record previously held by Colin Cable by four months. Widowed at 47, Cochran brought up seven children and they were all at the Midmar Dam to welcome her home when she broke the record.

__________________________________________________________________________

2014

• Men’s winner: Chad Ho (18:18)
• Men’s second: Troyden Prinsloo (18:18)
• Men’s third: Myles Brown (18:43)
• Women's winner: Ashley Twichell (19:45)
• Women’s second: Keri-Anne Payne (19:47)
• Women’s third: Michelle Weber (20:29)
• Boys U14 winner: Luke Erwee (21:46)
• Girls U14 winner: Tracy-Lea Meyer (22:33)
• Iron Man: (not found)
• Iron Woman: (not found)

Oldest finisher: Lorna Cochran, age 90 (1:16.13)
Men competing: (not found)
Women competing: (not found)
Total no. of competitors: (not found)

Chad Ho claimed his fifth consecutive Midmar Mile title in a time of 18:18. He was closely chased by Troyden Prinsloo, who also crossed the line in 18:18. Myles Brown came in third.

In the women's event, Ashley Twichell took the win in a time of 19:45. She was followed by Keri-Anne Payne and Michelle Weber in times of 19:47 and 20:29 respectively.

__________________________________________________________________________

2015

• Men’s winner: Chad Ho (17:04)
• Men’s second: Matthew Mark Meyer (17:16)
• Men’s third: Daniel Marais (17:21)
• Women's winner: Keri-Anne Payne (17:35) (Britain)
• Women’s second: Ashley Twichell (18:05) (America)
• Women’s third: Stephanie Peacock (18:06) (America)
• Boys U14 winner: Dylan Somerville (20:26)
• Girls U14 winner: Tracy-Lea Meyer (19:41)
• Iron Man: (not found)
• Iron Woman: (not found)

Oldest finisher: Lorna Cochran, age 91 (1:27:22)
Men competing: (not found)
Women competing: (not found)
Total no. of competitors: (not found)

This year saw Chad Ho taking his sixth consecutive win, a never before seen achievement. Racing in ideal conditions, Ho romped to a record title, smashing the race record in the process and finishing 12 seconds ahead of the promising Matthew Meyer, with Daniel Marais securing the last place on the men’s podium.

In the women’s race, Payne extended her record of the most wins in the female division to eight, and in the process blocked Ashley Twichell from the win. Fellow American, Stephanie Peacock was third and the first local woman home was Michelle Weber in fifth.

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2016

• Men’s winner: Chad Ho (17:00)
• Men’s second: Matthew Meyer (17:03)
• Men’s third: Michael McGlynn (17:38)
• Women's winner: Michelle Weber (19:10)
• Women’s second: Holly Hibbott (19:12) (Britain)
• Women’s third: Charlise Oberholzer (19:17)
• Boys U14 winner: Luca Holtzhausen (20:14)
• Girls U14 winner: Megan Tully (21:58)
• Iron Man: (not found)
• Iron Woman: (not found)

Oldest finisher: (not found)
Men competing: (not found)
Women competing: (not found)
Total no. of competitors: 12 000+

Chad Ho claimed a record seventh Midmar Mile title in succession. He was pushed by his training partner Matthew Meyer, with Meyer winning each of the hotspots at 400m, 800m and 1200m, but Ho pulled clear over the last 400m to secure a hard-fought but convincing victory in a time of 17:00, which improved the race record he had set last year by four seconds. Michael McGlynn, a very consistent performer in the Midmar Mile over the years, finished in third place.

Michelle Weber powered off the starting line to take an early lead in the women’s race. At the end of the race, Weber put in a spurt to clear herself of Hibbott and capture the win she had been dreaming about. Right behind them was Charlise Oberholzer.

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2017

• Men’s winner: Matthew Mark Meyer (18:13)
• Men’s second: Chad Ho (18:18)
• Men’s third: Chip Peterson (18:20)
• Women's winner: Ashley Twichell (19:24)
• Women’s second: Holly Hibbott (19:37)
• Women’s third: Robyn Kinghorn (20:34)
• Boys U14 winner: Luca Holtzhausen (20:16)
• Girls U14 winner: Tori Oliver (22:08)
• Iron Man: (not found)
• Iron Woman: (not found)

Oldest finisher: (not found)
Men competing: (not found)
Women competing: (not found)
Total no. of competitors: (not found)

The 44th edition of the aQuellé Midmar Mile was hailed by many as the best yet. While the competitive winners deserve their moment in the spotlight, the race brings people of varying ages, races, sizes and physical ability together with the majority of the swimmers completing a challenge, getting another precious medal, or raising funds for noteworthy causes.

One such group of people – cancer charity, the Pink Drive was much in evidence and raised an incredible estimated R2 million. Schools travelled far: Eunice High School from Bloemfontein was one of many, with 181 girls participating, while a quarter of the Drakensberg Boys Choir swam.

An intrepid group of three swimmers swam the men’s race, doing butterfly the whole way. But the hero of the weekend was American Craig DIetz (43), who made his second visit to the event having swum two miles in 2013, when he first visited SA. Born with no arms or legs, he completed seven miles swimming with Pietermaritzburg swimming teacher Odette Randelhoff, who personally had raised close to R50 000 for the Pink Drive. Dietz finished in less than 33 minutes in the main race.

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2018

• Men’s winner: Kirill Abrosimov (18:56) (Russia)
• Men’s second: Ashley Hogg (19:08) (Britain)
• Men’s third: Chad Ho (19:08)
• Women's winner: Ashley Twichell (19:12) (America)
• Women’s second: Marit Anderson (20:14) (Canada)
• Women’s third: Michelle Weber (20:15)
• Boys U14 winner: Connor Albertyn (22:00)
• Girls U14 winner: Leigh Mc Morran (22:02)
• Iron Man: (not found)
• Iron Woman: (not found)

Oldest finisher: (not found)
Men competing: (not found)
Women competing: (not found)
Total no. of competitors: (not found)

Foreign swimmers reigned supreme at the Midmar Mile, taking the top places in the men’s and women’s main races ahead of South African contenders.

American swimmer, Ashley Twichell successfully defended her title in the women’s category for the fourth time, while Kirill Abrosimov of Russia took top honours in the men’s race. Twichell opened a gap of one minute and two seconds on closest rival, Marit Anderson of Canada. Anderson recorded a time of 20:14 and was followed by the former champion of the race, Michelle Weber in third place just a second later.

Kirill Abrosimov, a first-time winner, took the title back to Russia with a time of 18:56, while Ashley Hogg of Britain had to settle for second with a time of 19:08, a hair's breadth ahead of local favourite, seven-time winner Chad Ho. 

__________________________________________________________________________

• 2019
• Men’s winner: Nick Sloman (17:01) (Australia)
• Men’s second: Michael McGlynn (17:28)
• Men’s third: Daniel Marais (17:29)
• Women's winner: Kareena Lee (18:20) (Australia)
• Women’s second: Michelle Weber (19:26)
• Women’s third: Samantha Randle (19:29)
• Boys U14 winner: Ross Paterson (19:47)
• Girls U14 winner: Ruby Dixon (22:23)
• Iron Man: (not found)
• Iron Woman: (not found)

Oldest finisher: (not found)
Men competing: (not found)
Women competing: (not found)
Total no. of competitors: (not found)

Both the men’s and women’s open races saw different winners that last year, with 2019’s victors each originating from outside South Africa.

Nick Sloman, 2018 Australian Open Water champion, was the fastest of the men, throwing down a time of 17:01 to take the gold. Behind Sloman in the race was 19-year-old Michael McGLynn and 21-year-old Daniel Marins, who finished with the second and third places respectively.

Another Australian, Kareena Lee, came out on top of the women’s field, with the 25-year-old touching the time-pad in 18:20. Last year's bronze medallist, Michellle Weber, improved to runner-up status this time around, with Samantha Randle rounding out the top three.

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2020

• Men’s winner: Michael McGlynn (18:26)
• Men’s second: Chad Ho (19:02)
• Men’s third: Henré Louw (19:07)
• Women's winner: Robyn Kinghorn (21:16)
• Women’s second: Samantha Randle (21:27)
• Women’s third: Victoria Earle (21:30)
• Boys U14 winner: Connor Reinders (22:48)
• Girls U14 winner: Bailey Forrest (23:39)
• Iron Man: (not found)
• Iron Woman: (not found)

Oldest finisher: (not found)
Men competing: (not found)
Women competing: (not found)
Total no. of competitors: (not found)

In the main races, South Africans streaked ahead of the international swimmers who have dominated in elite events in recent years. The last double home victory was in 2016.

Robyn Kinghorn chose a line across the dam that was well to the right of chasing the pack and it proved to work as she stayed in front to reach the finish in 21:16. Samantha Randle finished in second place 11 seconds later with Victoria Earle in third in 21:30. “I’m burning on the inside but I’m extremely happy with my race,” said Kinghorn.

The men’s race saw Michael McGlynn also well out in front from the start as he relished the challenge of the rough conditions. Having finished second in last year’s race, the Durban swimmer was determined he’d finish in front this time, reaching the shore in 18:26. Seven-time champion Ho was second in 19:02 and Henré Louw finished in third spot five seconds later. 

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2021

• Men’s winner: Michael McGlynn (17:55)
  
• Men’s second: Daniel Marais (18:25)
• Men’s third: Connor Buck (18:31)
• Women's winner: Michelle Weber (19:40)
• Women’s second: Victoria Earle (19:55)
• Women’s third: Carli Antonopoulos (20:12)
• Boys U14 winner: Juan Nel (21:16)
• Girls U14 winner: Bailey Forrest (21:57)
• Iron Man: (not found)
• Iron Woman: (not found)

Oldest finisher: Mike “Buthy” Arbuthnot (88)
Men competing: (not found)
Women competing: (not found)
Total no. of competitors: (not found)

The 2021 event saw only 20 elite swimmers in the men’s and women’s categories being allowed to take part in the race due to fears that the event, which normally attracts more than 10 000 swimmers, could be a potential Covid-19 super spreader.

Both the winners took all the race’s hotspots as they led from start to finish.

In the men’s race, Michael McGlynn won in a time of 17:55, ahead of Daniel Marais (18:25) and Connor Buck who finished second and third respectively.

The KZN-born Michelle Weber finished the race with a time of 19:40, beating Tori Earle who came second putting 19:55 on the clock, while Carli Antonopoulos finished third with a time of 20:12.

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2022

• Men’s winner: Connor Buck (18:18)
• Men’s second: Michael McGLynn (19:38)
• Men’s third: Ross Paterson (19:41)
• Women's winner: Stephanie Houtman (19:37)
• Women’s second: Samantha Randle (19:50)
• Women’s third: Mykae Forrest (19:51)
• Boys U14 winner: Jedrick Geleta (21:23)
• Girls U14 winner: Kelly Wynne-Jones (24:21)
• Iron Man: (not found)
• Iron Woman: (not found)

Oldest finisher: (not found)
Men competing: (not found)
Women competing: (not found)
Total no. of competitors: (not found)

 The 49th edition of the Midmar Mile saw the crowning of two first-time champions as Stephanie Houtman and Connor Buck emerged victorious in the elite races. 2022 also saw the Midmar Mile return to pre-Covid festivities, drawing a large crowd but not reaching the staggering heights achieved in prior years.   

It was Tory Earle who took an early lead in the women's race, reaching the 400m and halfway points in front. But Houtman’s steadily worked her way to the front by the 1200m mark and powered ahead to win in 19:37. Finishing 13 seconds behind her was her TUKS training partner, Samantha Randle, with 17-year-old Mykae Forrest hot on her heels in 19:51.

The men’s race saw two-time defending champion, Michael McGLynn taking an early lead before 19-year-old Connor Buck took control. Buck reached the 400m mark in front and extended his lead from there. By the time he reached the finish line in 18:18, he was an incredible one minute and 20 seconds ahead of McGlynn, who took second spot. Ross Paterson edged out Ross Hartigan for third spot in a frantic sprint for the finish line, finishing in 19:41.

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2023 (50th anniversary)

• Men’s winner: Connor Buck (17:39)
  
• Men’s second: Henré Louw (18:34)
• Men’s third: Brendan Visser (18:50)
• Women's winner: Sharon van Rouwendaal (18:40)
  
• Women’s second: Ashley Twichell (18:44)
• Women’s third: Stephanie Houtman (19:29)
• Boys U14 winner: Raynard Everraud (21:05)
• Girls U14 winner: Zuria Venter (22:44)
• Iron Man: (not found)
• Iron Woman: (not found)

Oldest finisher: Mike “Buthy” Arbuthnot, age 90 
Men competing: (not found)
Women competing: (not found)
Total no. of competitors: (not found)

2023 marked the 50th anniversary for the Midmar Mile, drawing people of all walks of life together and special guests from across the globe.