Annalisa Freese, one of the local swimmers, said they were gutted when the official aQuellé Midmar Mile race was called off at 13:00 on 10 March. Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, which runs the Midmar Dam facility, denied race organisers permission, despite all Covid protocols being in place.
“It was only two to three days before our event, so we were all so disappointed. Most of us were already on our way to Midmar. Others had to cancel accommodation, even though their deposit was non-refundable. Anyhow, this meant the aQuellé Midmar Mile could only be run as a virtual event, with swimmers being able to complete the distance on any body of water across the country.
“In the end, the local swimmers completed the race unofficially at Klipdrift Dam on Sunday, 14 March. They got into the water at 08:30 and still obtained good times over the 1,600 m swim.
The results were as follows:
Annalisa Freese (32:47 min), Anya Dippenaar (54:31 min), Caitlin Doran (32:48 min), Divan Grove (28:36 min), Gerrie Grove Snr, the coach, (47:04 min), Kahlell Taylor (35:29 min), Markus Homan (32:49 min) and Pieter Steinmann (41:19 min).
“We had a very pleasant swim. The water was nice and calm, with a slight wind as we turned around at the 800 m mark. I must say, it was definitely very different without the crowd pulling you and the adrenalin that you usually experience with an open water event. So, yes, it was actually more difficult, but you don’t want to get too tense in open water because there’s so much going on – and there’s the fear of the dark water – it’s very easy to get overwhelmed. You just have to stay calm, enjoy it, have fun and do your best. And that’s exactly what we did. We also thank our seconds who were with us on the water to make sure we were safe,” says Freese.
Lucas Dippenaar and Jaundré Geldenhuys were waiting in a motorboat at the halfway mark while Charmaine Rabbo-lini, Conrad Freese and Lizethe Kolbe were rowing with the swimmers.
“Well done to our first-timers, Anya Dippenaar and Kahlell Taylor. You made us proud. Thank you, Oom Gerrie, for being the best coach ever.
The swimming season will end on 31 March and reopen in September,” concluded Freese.
