Ho, Ho, Ho, It’s a record at the Midmar Mile – Ashley Twichell takes Gold

South Africa’s Chad Ho won the 2013 Midmar Mile (the world’s largest open water swimming race) for the 4th consecutive year.   Ho, one of the world’s top open water swimmers led the race from start to finish.   For Chad and his training partners this was literally a sprint, and he showed the burst of speed that makes him a force in longer races.

1.Chad Ho 17:57
2.Troyden Prinsloo 18:08
3.Danie Marais 18:09
4.Mark Randall 18:33
5.Matthew Mark Meyer 18:55
6.Myles Brown 18:56
7.Henri Schoeman 18:58
8.Darien Townsend 19:01
9.Chris McGlynn 19:05
10.Sebastian Roualt 19:13

On the women’s side it was Ashley Twitchell besting the field in this very competitive field.   Twichell, who is the reigning USA national champion in both the 5 and 10K events came out ahead of Keri Anne Payne who was last year’s champion.   In the 2012 event Twichell had a strong showing against Payne and was primed for the win in this race.   Hungary’s Katinka Hosszu, past world record holder and 4th place finisher in the 400IM in London, was a respectable 4th place in this event.

Women

1.Ashley Twichell 19:04
2.Keri Anne Payne 19:21
3.Michelle Weber 19:29
4.Katinka Hosszu 19:56
5.Rene Warnes 20:05
6.Kyna Pereira 20:12
7.Carmen le Roux 20:32
8.Megan Kate Stephens 20:42
9.Clarice le Roux 20:56
10.Nicole Brits 21:01

Beyond the elite field the event was again huge and wildly successful.  Kudos to famed South African Swim Coach Wayne Ridden who servers as the event organizer.  In fact, reports indicate they broke their own world record for the largest open water swimming event (final numbers will released pending certification for the Guinness Book of World Records).   If you’re looking for a great destination swim in 2014 – check out the MidMar Mile.