Mike Arbuthnot Founded Midmar Mile, Still Going Strong
Courtesy of Lexie Kelly, aQuellé Midmar Mile, Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Mike Arbuthnot has gone 44 for 44.
The 86-year-old completed his 44th aQuellé Midmar Mile out of the 44 editions held.
That kind of consistency and dedication is unparalleled in the open water swimming world. He has done a total of over 80 swims across the Midmar Dam in South Africa, and keeps training and maintaining his healthy lifestyle. For his original vision in creating the Midmar Mile, for this decades-long commitment to support the event in every and any means possible, and for his continued wellness that serves as an inspiration to those in the younger generations, Arbuthnot’s 42nd consecutive Midmar Mile swim is a worthy nominee for the 2015 World Open Water Swimming Performance of the Year.
Year in and year out since 1973, the South African has participated in the mile swim across the Midmar Dam. He and his buddies, Dick Park and Brian Glover, were unable to compete in the Buffalo Mile in East London because of petrol restrictions and decided to stage a race in KwaZulu-Natal. And so his legacy began.
The annual WOWSA Awards will be announced next week.
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Southern California native, born 1962, is the creator of the WOWSA Awards, Oceans Seven, Openwaterpedia, Citrus Corps, World Open Water Swimming Association, Daily News of Open Water Swimming, Global Open Water Swimming Conference. He is Chief Executive Officer of KAATSU Global and KAATSU Research Institute. Inductee in the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame (Honor Swimmer, Class of 2001) and Ice Swimming Hall of Fame (Honor Contributor - Media, Class of 2019), recipient of the International Swimming Hall of Fame's Poseidon Award (2016), International Swimming Hall of Fame's Irving Davids-Captain Roger Wheeler Memorial Award (2010), USA Swimming's Glen S. Hummer Award (2007, 2010) and Harvard University's John B. Imrie Award (1984). Served on the FINA Technical Open Water Swimming Committee and as Technical Delegate with the 2011 Special Olympics World Summer Games, and 9-time USA Swimming coaching staff. Note: WOWSA only recommends products or services used or recommended by the community. WOWSA does not receive compensation for links or products mentioned on this site or in blog posts. If it does, it will be indicated clearly on that specific post. See WOWSA's privacy policy for more information.
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