FOREWORD
Message from the Race
Director, Wayne Riddin
T
his year
we find
ourselves
celebrating
our 47 th year of
hosting South
Africa’s biggest
open water swim,
the aQuellé Midmar
Mile. Welcoming over
12,000 swimmers every
year is not without its
challenges, and so my first
and biggest thank you is to all
those involved behind the scenes in
making our humble mile a world renowned event.
This event would not be possible without your tireless commitment, and
every swimmer who crosses our finish line safely does so because of the
roles you play. For that I am incredibly thankful.
To our title sponsor, aQuellé, your commitment to the aQuellé Midmar
Mile goes a long way to making this event what it is year on year, and
joining us on our road to our 50 th is an honour. Your slogan, “Choose
joy for real,” is exactly our message to our swimmers this year... choose
the joy in every moment and reach that finish line, knowing you have
accomplished the goal you set out to achieve.
To all our other sponsors, this race is dependent on each one of you.
Whether big or small, each of you is a puzzle piece in making our
event work, and we thank you for making sure our puzzle is not lacking
anything, year on year. We have created a page further on where all
swimmers can see the massive amount of commitment it takes to put
this event together.
A special thanks to the N3 Toll Concession for going the extra mile in
bringing the excitement of the mile to our screens in our live stream
Message from
title sponsor,
aQuellé
W
e look forward to being a part of the
2020 aQuellé Midmar Mile! This year, we
encourage all swimmers and supporters
to enjoy the Mile instead of scrolling a mile. In other
words, take a break from online activities and choose
#JoyForReal, by enjoying the outdoors and making
unforgettable memories with family and friends.
We wish you all the best and hope you have a wonderful
weekend together with us. Stay refreshed and we’ll see
you at the finish with your favourite aQuellé.
4
aQuellé Midmar Mile | Worlds Largest Open Water Swim
broadcast, and Thembelihle for their fundraising for vital equipment
needed to make our 50 th edition something special.
Thank you also to Maxed Elite and Mr Price Sport, for keeping our
swimmers well equipped, to Nivea for keeping our swimmers protected
from the sun, to Cascades for hosting our race registration, to Race
Food for giving our swimmers that extra boost of energy, to Super Group
for providing vital buses that transport our swimmers from start to finish,
and to Jetline Action Photo for helping swimmers keep memories alive
with your fantastic photography.
To Mediclinic and ER 24, your medical support is vital, and we are
safe in the knowledge that we are supported by the best. To Virgin
Active, thanks for keeping us fit and healthy. And for an event this size,
vehicles that can not only transport our staff but all our equipment are
vital, so a special thanks to Key Pmburg and Isuzu for providing us with
cars that can handle any terrain. That makes our jobs that much easier!
Our water safety is always the top priority on my organisation list each year,
and a big acknowledgement must go to the services provided by the SA
Navy, SAPS Search & Rescue, SAPS K9 Search & Rescue, NSRI, Durban
Metro Police Search & Rescue, Durban Surf Lifesaving, KZN Wildlife, KZN
Wildlife Honorary Officers and ER24 for their continued support. Also, our
life guards spend countless hours on the water ensuring that we keep
each swimmer as safe as humanly possible, and I can’t thank you enough,
Jaycee Thompson, Manager of the Durban Surf Lifesaving Club.
A special mention must be made of Mike ‘Buthie’ Arbuthnot, one of the
founders of the Midmar Mile. He will be swimming his 47 th race this year,
at the age of 87! Mike has been involved in this from day one, and it’s a
great honour welcoming him each year.
Seals Swimming Club wish all swimmers a pleasant swim, and a big
welcome to all new swimmers as well as a welcome back to swimmers
joining us again. We have made every effort to ensure your aQuellé
Midmar experience is a pleasant one from start to finish.