THE 95th River Mile is set to take centre stage of the Nelson Mandela Bay swimming scene next month.
Hosted at the scenic Sundays River on February 17, the event will highlight everything good about Nelson Mandela Bay – food, crafts and sport. “There will be no fewer than seven events to choose from including four swim disciplines, the Nitro Park Kids Across the River race, an off-road triathlon and a 5km fun run.
“Added to these events, there will be a variety of arts and crafts, food vendors and a Bridge Street Brewery beer garden,” said Zsports Events NPC marketing manager, Niel du Preez.
“There will also be a WiFi zone in the festival area for the first time thanks to the internet providers IGEN who will also give away prizes.”
There are two major additions to the 2019 River Mile. The first is the honour of being added to the Global Swim Series, which is a collection of 150 races in 34 countries worldwide in which over 100 000 swimmers take part.
The other is the opportunity for a school to win a R10 000 cash prize which will be awarded to the school with the most entrants. The second addition is an initiative aimed at attracting more youth to the River Mile and try to better the 18 entries mustered by Collegiate Girls’ High School last year.
Other than the schools’ competition, which is a great opportunity for a club or sporting programme to raise money, there will be plenty of promotional and lucky draw prizes. The River Mile festival area also offers the perfect opportunity for the entire family to come out and enjoy the beautiful and vibrant setting.
The 2019 event will get underway with one eye on the 100th edition taking place in 2024.
Sunday morning will see a bright 08:00 start with the 5km Fun Run.
Thereafter the off-road triathlon will start at 09:00, the Nitro Park Kids Across the River at 11:00, the Blu_Smooth Wetsuit Mile and the Oracle Media Disabled Mile at 12:30 and the ladies and men’s Miles at 13:30 and 14:30 respectively.
Early bird entrants receive a limited-edition 2019 River Mile T shirt, while all entrants to the swimming events will receive a silicone River Mile branded swim cap.
For more info, visit www.rivermile.co.za or call the Zsports office at 041 484 7860.
