Swim away the cobwebs with a bracing swim

Anybody taking an early morning dip on the Atlantic Seaboard in midwinter would normally attract questions about their sanity. However, on the first Sunday of every month, swimmers in the 36ONE Openwater Swim Series brave the icy-cold Atlantic in both summer and winter to take part in this popular event.

According to the 36ONE Swim Series website, the story behind the legendary event is that during the latter half of the 20th century, volunteer lifesavers who had the misfortune to have lifesaving duty on the 1st January would meet for an informal “regmaaker” swim at Clifton’s 4th Beach. But then “on the 1 January 2005, five swimmers arrived on the beach saying that the word on the street was that there was a swim happening. The lifesavers duly invited the swimmers to accompany them around the bay and back. It was such a hit that the monthly 1st Sunday of the Month Swims was born.”

Over the last 19 years, 4700 people have been allocated race numbers to swim in this iconic event that still takes place on Clifton’s 4th beach with its crystal clear waters, white sands and breathtaking views of the Twelve Apostles mountain range. It has “become one of the Cape Peninsula’s favourite ways to wash away the cobwebs and greet the New Year!”

The event organisers have tried to cater for everyone. Whether you want to wear a skin or a wetsuit, or if you are an Olympic athlete honing your skills, or a newcomer wanting to try open-water swimming for the first time, they offer a safe experience with a varying range of events.

But if swimming in ice cold water is not your idea of a good time, even taking into account the many health benefits, don’t despair because there are other options.

1276 kms away on the east coast of South Africa (yes, we know, it’s a long drive for a swim, but not everyone lives near Table Mountain) there is another swim series that takes place in the warm Indian Ocean during KwaZulu-Natal’s balmy winter months.

Started in 2007 by Heather Campbell, a highly decorated South African Masters champion and now run by Trevor Martin – who has extensive experience in surf lifesaving and events – the series consists of nine ocean swims from April through September, with several distance options for participants.

According to the Dolphin Mile website, all series’ races have an 800m and 1 600m (1 Mile) swim, with some races also catering for the 3 200m and 5 400m distances. Situated on Durban’s famous Golden Mile, the series’ home base is the Marine Surf Lifesaving Club at Addington Beach, which is “considered one of the safest and most user-friendly beaches for ocean swimming in South Africa”.

So, what's not to love? Whether you are in Cape Town or Durban, you'll have golden beaches, mostly stunning weather and an open water sea swim that caters for all categories of swimmer, from novice to elite. It can form a key component of a healthy lifestyle and exercise regimen – so, see you for the next swim at Clifton’s 4th Beach or Addington Beach.

FinishTime is constantly looking at ways to both improve the race experience for athletes and make event organising easier and less stressful. With that in mind, FinishTime is collaborating with UK company Racecheck with the long-term goal of fulfilling both these objectives.

Racecheck is an online site with a simple but valuable role of creating a platform for race reviews. Participants go to their site to post reviews about recent events and read past feedback. This has a double benefit in that it helps potential participants find events that are worth their time and money, and it also helps organisers improve through constructive feedback.

It is a classic win / win for participants and organisers.

Potential particpants will uncover events and feel confident they are entering a race that will leave them with great memories.

Organisers will find the site drives registrations from first-time participants and also offers advanced analytics to see exactly how the race reviews are influencing sales.

The reviews also provide accurate feedback from participants so race directors can continually improve their events with knowledge rather than hopeful speculation about their entrants' likes and dislikes.

So, how do you leave a review?

Simple … you will start seeing the following logo on some of our results pages

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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