Fancy swimming a mile or 32?

Every February, Midmar Dam becomes far more than a stretch of water used for recreation by Pietermaritzburg and Howick residents: It becomes a place where limits are challenged and ordinary people achieve extraordinary feats in the aQuellé Midmar Mile – and this year Reino von Wielligh will be pushing the limits of extraordinary.

For most people, from first-time swimmers to seasoned elites, from charity fund-raisers to competitors defying age and illness, the aQuellé Midmar Mile is more than just a race – it is a celebration of resilience, purpose and the power of perspective, but nowhere will this be more evident than when Reino attempts to swim 32 miles as part of the Midmar Mile Charity Challenge.

I swam the aQuellé Midmar Mile when I was at school and I have no doubt my time was far from impressive as I was never much of a swimmer. The closest I came to any fame at the event, however, was that the same year (1980) my good school friend, Patricia Butcher, at the tender age of 15, won the women’s race. Her remarkable winning time of 18 minutes and 13 seconds was then the fastest time ever in the history of the Midmar Mile – yes, the fastest time ever, men included!

She beat the men’s winner and her training partner, Springbok Nick Gray by 23 seconds. Her time was only equalled nine years later when Andrew O’Flaherty posted the same time in the men’s race in 1989.

The most successful swimmers in the event’s history however, are 2015 World Champion Chad Ho, who won the event seven times in succession from 2010 to 2016 – and holds the record time of 17 minutes and Keri-Anne Payne who won the woman’s race eight times between 2004 and 2015.

Taking nothing away from the achievements of the elite swimmers, what truly makes the Midmar Mile iconic is its everyday heroes. The race is filled with people who take on an extraordinary challenge, and are motivated purely by helping those less fortunate than themselves. The Midmar Charity Challenge 8- or 16-Mile gives swimmers the opportunity to raise funds for worthy causes by swimming 8 or 16 miles across the dam. As you can imagine, this is no small feat, yet more than 200 individual swimmers take on the challenge each year.

This year, Reino von Wielligh is going the extra mile – 16 times. The Pretoria swimmer will take on his most ambitious challenge yet – swimming 32 miles during the 5-8 February event as part of the Midmar Mile Charity Challenge.

“My inspiration for this ambitious challenge is that I know I can use my swimming talents to help kids with cancer and people with disabilities, and hopefully by swimming 32 miles I will be able to get more people involved in these charities.”

For those whose swimming ability may not quite stretch to 8 or 16 (or 32) miles, the charity challenge can also be completed as part of a team, making it accessible, while still demanding commitment and determination.

Since its introduction in 2016, an impressive R22,3 million has been raised and donated to charities including CHOC, PinkDrive, Ezemvelo Wildlife and CANSA – proof that every length swum helps make a meaningful difference.

Then there are those heroes of the aQuellé Midmar Mile who have plenty of reasons not to be there, but line up regardless. They take to the water to show themselves, and everyone watching, that age, illness or disability does not define their limits, nor diminish their determination.

One who comes to mind is Oscar Chalupsky, a surfski champion who swum the race last year while battling fourth-stage cancer. Not to be outdone, his 87-year-old father, Paul, swam alongside him, proving that age is just a number.

So if you think competing in the aQuellé Midmar Mile is a bridge too far, think again – after all, you only need to swim 1 mile not 32. It’s not about the distance, it’s about taking that first stroke, daring yourself, and discovering that limits exist mostly in the mind.

The aQuellé Midmar Mile is the world’s largest open water swim event with up to 19 000 participants. There are also multiple events spread over four days, with elite World Champions chasing seconds, as well as thousands just aiming to finish – all this makes the event highly complex for timekeepers.

Officially FinishTime first rose to the challenge in 2013 and have been timing the event ever since.

The main event comprises four races each on Saturday and Sunday, with five start batches per race. In the two days leading up to the weekend action, a Charity Challenge is held where individuals and teams start swimming 8-, 16-, and, for the first time this year, 32-mile events, all in support of various charities.

Every swimmer is given a timing chip as well as a barcoded tag with a safety pin. They also receive a swim cap that is the same colour as their start batch. The timing chip is worn on a Velcro strap on their left ankle, while the barcoded tag is a back up timing system and pinned to the inside of the swimming costume.

Chip readers are set up so that all swimmers entering the start pound get scanned and then again when they leave the water at the finish. This is done for safety reasons to ensure all swimmers have made it safely across the dam.

Timing is live, so competitors' results are available as soon as they cross the finish line.

This year FinishTime is also going one step further for the elite swimmers. We are using active chips from our Australian partners, which means we will be able to provide the top swimmers with three splits across the dam. This will also add to the excitement for spectators and give the elites a breakdown of their swim.

FinishTime always aims to provide the latest in cutting-edge sports timing technology and once again at the aQuellé Midmar Mile we will be leading the way.

The FinishTime sporting calendars below come with a warning to check with the event organisers to ensure events have not been postponed or cancelled.

More event information, a regularly updated events calendar and results of all events timed by FinishTime can be found at www.finishtime.co.za and all results of events timed by FinishTime at results.finishtime.co.za

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