Shakeup on cards for next River Mile
NELSON Mandela Bay’s historic River Mile event will undergo some significant changes next year in the buildup to the event’s centenary celebrations in 2024.
Now in its 94th year, the River Mile festival will see the organisers shake things up and build on the event’s popularity.
The event was moved from Redhouse in 2010 due to the poor water quality of the Swartkops River and now takes place at Cannonville on the Sundays River.
“The heritage of this event is paramount to us and we are embracing the opportunity for change to boost [its] popularity and stature in South Africa,” organiser Michael Zoetmulder said.
“It is one of the oldest swimming events in the world and we’d like to see the region capitalise on this to help boost sports tourism.
“With this change comes the search for a new naming partner keen to capitalise on the exposure generated by this historic event.”
Formerly a two-day festival, the event next year will be packaged into a one-day family event, taking place on February 18.
Expected to attract more than 5 000 visitors, the festival will include a 5km family fun run, a long and short course off-road triathlon for individuals and teams, kids’ races across the river and miles for the disabled and those wearing wetsuits.
Online registration for the events is now open.