Midmar Mile, just keep swimming

The annual Midmar Mile is taking place this weekend (11-12 February 2017) at Midmar dam, just outside Pietermaritzburg. The Midmar dam is popular for camping and boating but once a year the dam plays host to the biggest open-water swim in the world with a rich history.
The Midmar Mile was started by three frustrated friends in 1974. Mike Arbuthnot, Dick Park and Brian Glover entered the Buffalo Mile that was taking place in East London, but was unable to travel there due to fuel restrictions. The three friends decided that they still wanted to swim a race, so they staged a similar race at Midmar dam in Pietermaritzburg because of its central location. 153 Male swimmers took part in the first ever Midmar Mile on 10 February 1974. Female swimmers were only allowed to enter in 1975.
Over the years the Midmar Mile has grown bigger and bigger, in 2009 it was recognised in the Guinness Book of Records when 13 755 competitors finished the race, making it the world’s largest open water swimming event. Among these swimmers were 13 Olympians from across the world.
This is a unique race as the distance of the race is estimated to a mile (1.6 km), but not the actual swim. The distance that competitors swim all depends on rainfall and the water levels of the dam on that day. In the dry years swimmers have to make their way through mayhem as competitors all sprint across the muddy lake-shore and through the shallows until they reach the water deep enough for them to swim.
The Midmar Mile attracts everyone from serious international athletes and Olympic swimmers to purely amateurs, both young and old. Last year seven-time Midmar Mile champion and South African Olympian Chad Ho finished the race in 17 minutes flat and wants to show his competitors again what he is made of.
Source:
Sleeping-out
The Zulu Kingdom
South Africa