Africa’s oldest open water swimming event started in Redhouse on the 20th January 1924 and today celebrates its 90th anniversary.
The visionary of the event, Mr AE Murrell, presented a handsome cup in 1924 to the winner with the idea that the race should be for open water swimmers and emphasis should be on the team concept and not on individuals. The AE Murrell trophy is still one of the treasured trophies presented at the SPAR River Mile.
Whilst the swimming team rivalry is still strong, the event has become more popular amongst individual swimmers and particularly the social swimmers looking to complete their first mile swim. The individual River Champions are celebrated with the first five swimmers from a swimming club becoming the Champion team.
The local Redhouse Swimming Club won the inaugural race in 1924 with Roy Gregory the first man home to become the first ever River Mile Champion. Redhouse teams continued to be successful in this event for many years and won the cup 14 times.
In 1924, the first race saw 44 of the 48 men complete the swim. The Ladies quarter-mile race, replaced by the Ladies Mile race in 1987, was first held in 1932 when Ethel Smith was the winner in 6 minutes 27 seconds. In 1948, a 12-year-old Olympic swimmer Joan Harrison won in 6 minutes 10.3 seconds.
For good reason, swimmers keep on coming back to do the River Mile. Led by the legend of the River Mile, 81-year-old Mally Richards of Jeffreys Bay who has completed 60 River Mile swims since his first in 1947. “I have been swimming since I was a boy and this is what I enjoy the most. I am hoping to do this till I die,” Richards said. The Uitenhage-born pensioner now retired in Jeffreys Bay started swimming for fun at 14, while still a pupil at Muir Collage and swam his first River Mile in mid-1940’s.
In 2007 professional event organiser Mike Zoetmulder of Zports took over the management of the event on behalf of Eastern Province Aquatics and with this came new innovation and the increase of the Mile event into a festival of activities. In 2010 the event was relocated from Redhouse to Cannonville on the Sundays River due to every increasing water pollution in the Swartkops River.
“Having been born in Redhouse, I’ve grown up with the River Mile and I’m honoured to be at the helm of this epic event as it celebrates it’s 90th Anniversary. I’m sure that without the support and backing of SPAR Eastern Cape this event would have ceased many years ago but 2014 not only marks the 90th Anniversary of the River Mile but also SPAR’s 15th year as the naming sponsor”, said Zoetmulder, “We’re looking forward to a very exciting festival of activites next month and hope that many of the past winners will join us in the celebration over the weekend of 15/16th February.”
The 2014 SPAR River Mile Festival offers an action packed weekend with the Saturday featuring the Tavcor Volkswagen Family 5km Run, the Axxess DSL Off-Road Cycle, the Lion Roars Family Half Mile and the Disabled and Wetsuit Mile events. Am exciting special category, the Zports ‘Triathlon’, sees the finishing positions of participants who take part in the 3 events (Run, Cycle and Half-Mile Swim) being accumulated to determine the overall champions on the day. The Sunday morning starts off with the Kids ‘Across-the-River’ races for those childer 12 years and under who aren’t taking part in the Mile events. With age groups from as young as 6 years old and a special needs category, over 200 kids are anticipated to take part in this popular event which also sees the kids being ferried across the river in the spectacular Sundays River Ferry. This is followed by the Ladies Mile at 1.30pm and the Men’s Mile at 2.30pm. Multi talented Gino Fabbri will entertain the crowds over the weekend and will also hand out a huge assortment of lucky draw prizes for participants and festival goers. The Crickley Dairy Rotary Kids zone will keep the kids entertainment whilst the adults enjoy the Castle Lite Beer Garden and a host of awesome food and craft stalls.
The SPAR River Mile early bird entries are currently available on www.rivermile.co.za with all early bird Mile entrants receiving a free 90th anniversary t-shirt with their entry. The first 1,000 swim entrants (across all swim events) will each receive a 90th anniversary silicone swim cap. Collection of goody bags for all registered entrants will be on Wednesday 12th February at Kings Market in the Kings Court Shopping Centre. Festival gates open at 8am on the weekend and entry into the festival will cost just R20 per person with free entry for kids 10 years and under and participants who are wearing their race wrist band. Strictly no alcohol or pets are permitted to be brought into the festival area. For further information on the festival please contact Michelle at Zports on 041 4847860.
Alan Straton
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