Midmar vet still diving in and going the extra mile
GAIL Bristow was just 14 when she lined up for her first Midmar Mile in 1974. There was no medal waiting for her when she reached the other side of the dam and women weren’t officially allowed to enter the race.
Much has changed since then, with over 12 000 swimmers expected to line up for this year’s edition of what has grown into one of the world’s largest open water swimming events.
Bristow, originally of KwaZulu-Natal before moving to Cape Town, will be among the thousand of competitors for her 46th official, and 47th unofficial, year.
“I started the very first one in 1974. The girls weren’t allowed to swim so a handful of us went along with our brothers and friends and we lined up at the start, but we didn’t get a medal,” Bristow, now 60, said.
“Can you imagine anything more ridiculous? The girls were all unofficial, as they were at the Comrades Marathon and all those events back then.”
That all changed a year later after an uproar from the country’s female swimmers.
“So we lined up with our mates and swam it and that’s how it’s been ever since. I think part of the fun is that a lot of those same people – although they might not have made it every year – are still doing it, so I see a lot of my friends that I swam with as a teenager every year.
“It’s a really social event now. I’m not as competitive as I was. It’s all about the camaraderie and it’s a great event.”
Bristow, who recently retired from teaching, has claimed podium places in various age categories at the event, and still competes in Masters swimming.
“We have quite a strong Masters team that travels all over to compete at world championships, so I do still swim competitively even though I turned 60 last year. It’s a lot of fun, it gives you some motivation otherwise it’s easy just to get lazy,” she said.
“I think I have three world titles and our Cape Town team has six world relay records, so we are very competitive, which is nice because we grew up when we couldn’t compete internationally.
“The main thing for me is that on the second Sunday in February, I’ve been at Midmar for the last 47 years. It’s now a case of getting there. I always think the car might break down or the flight could be delayed. There’s always that possibility, so I feel very grateful that I’ve been able to make it every year.
“It’s just something I’ve added on to my calendar every year.”