Lorna Cochran still relishes Midmar Mile challenge at 99
If she was able to travel, she would celebrate her 100th birthday on the 50th anniversary of the event.
If it weren’t for her inability to travel and maybe old age, Benoni’s nonagenarian, Lorna Cochran, would be among the thousands of swimmers at the start of the Midmar Mile in February.
Entries for the premier open water competition are open and the 99-year-old wishes she could join in on the action.
“I would have loved to be there next year. I would give my eyeteeth, but there’s no way that I could do it,” she said.
A legend of 17 Midmar Mile events, Cochran broke the record as an 89-year-old in 2013.
In 2015, she defended her record to become the race’s oldest finisher at 92 years.
“It was just the fun that brought me back every year. We had such a great time.
“It was the getting together in the group and it was the great people we swam with – and to see everybody and be part of it,” added Cochran, whose late son Neil initially roped her into the event.
“Then the last time I was 91 I said to Neil I didn’t feel like I could do it. He told me I had to come because they were bringing a great-grandchild.
“It was great. I was a bit slow – I can’t remember the time. My best one I think was a 53:11 I did one year. But you just get in the water, it hits you in the face and you drink the water – it’s like that,” she added with a laugh.
“I’ve seen youngsters at Midmar saying, ‘I can’t see the bottom.’ What do they expect? When we were children, we swam in whatever, so it didn’t bother us that much.”
Known for her activism in Benoni, the nonagenarian was a prolific hockey and tennis player. But it was at the Midmar Mile where she really made a name for herself.
She advises those who want to try the event for the first time, “One always gets a bit nervous but a friend of mine from church gave me a bookmark one year that says, ‘Always remember that the task ahead of you is never as great as the power and potential within you.’ I’ve said that many a time to people standing at the start of Midmar.”
To enter the event, which takes place from February 11 to 12 or any of the seeding events, go to www.midmarmile.com.
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