A committed swimmer has kept the Midmar Mile flag flying in the family for 30 years.
Dave Russell, who participated in his school provincial swimming teams as a young boy who attended Potchefstroom Boys, has completed 30 Midmar Mile swims – considered one of the largest open water swimming events.
His first Midmar Mile was in 1987, in the early days when supporters watched the swimmers start their race and then drove back to the finish to see them come in.
Many family and friends have taken part in the race with Dave over the years.
He has also been fortunate in his health to do 30 consecutive swims.
His wife, Delia Russell, was his most dedicated supporter.
“Going down to Midmar each year has been one of the highlights of our lives and I am so proud of Dave’s commitment to the training each year and the consistency in completing 30 swims,” she said.
His daughter, Jennifer Marais, said her father went as far as driving down to Howick on the morning of the race to swim the 1 500 meters and then driving back to Johannesburg in one day just so he didn’t miss any swims.
His daughters are following in their dad’s footsteps and have completed 10 swims each.
Jennifer said her dad’s highs of Midmar included being awarded two bronze medals and one silver medal when he was in his 50s.
Mr Russell hopes to continue with the race as long as he is able to do so.
“When it’s an annual family tradition spanning 30 years, few things are able to get in the way,” said daughter Jennifer.
