Charity swim this Saturday
There are four events on the day: 5km, 3.2km, 1.6km and 800m.
Swimmers throughout KZN have been prepping for the fast-approaching Breathe World Ocean Day Swim to be held on Saturday, June 8.
Breathe is a non-profit organisation started by Durban endurance swimmer Sarah Ferguson to highlight the scourge of plastic pollution worldwide in all the oceans and to educate people from an early age on the importance of marine conservation.
“This is a charity event, with all proceeds going toward Breathe and the ongoing battle against ocean pollution. It is appropriate the event is on World Ocean Day,” said Trevor Martin, race director.
There are four events on the day: 5km, 3.2km, 1.6km and 800m – starting from The Beach Club, next to the Durban Underwater Club, adjacent to uShaka, at the Point Waterfront. The uShaka Pier is the start and finish, with swimmers going as far as New Pier, depending on the distance being covered.
Anyone aged 10 years or older is able to enter and compete with registration at the Beach Club from 05:30 to 06:30, with a race briefing at 06:45. Racing is scheduled to start at 07:00.
After winning the 3.2km ocean swim at last year’s event, 17-year-old Tayla Bruce has her sights set on the women’s 5km title this Saturday.
The young swimmer has been successfully taking on the challenges of open water swimming for the past four years, following on from her inaugural swim at the Capital K one kilometre event at Midmar Dam in 2019.
“My longest swim to date is a 10km, which I did at last year’s KZN Champs at Midmar,” she said.
Stepping up to the 5km swim this year, Bruce harbours hopes of winning but admits it could be anyone’s race, and she knows how tight the racing can be. Last year, she tied with Bailey Forrest for overall honours in the women’s 3.2km race when the two athletes could not be separated in the dash to the line.
While entries will be taken on the day, there will be an admin fee charged. Swimmers have been advised to enter online, which will be cheaper. Entries are at www.roag.org, and information on Breathe is at www.breatheconservation.org
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