Midmar Mile madness - Bob Shop Blog

Midmar Mile tools and tips

After months of training, everyone is ready to take on the challenge: a mere 1.6 kilometres of icy, fishy water to cross, “Easy peezy, lemon squeazy”, I say. Good to know that there are ways of making this a more enjoyable event. First thing’s first – you need the right gear.

You may see swimmers, including men, with a one piece that covers their thighs and possibly their arms too; a little something like this:

The neck of the suit comes right up to your collar bones in order to avoid water resistance.
This type of swimwear also helps for long distance swims in the fight against… well… chafing. We are all aware of the ugliness of the issue, but for the Midmar Mile there is no need to fret. It is quite improbable that you would need this type of costume; although if you wanted to it may be useful for those long, gruelling hours in the pool. Most swimwear is made of about 80% Polyamide and 20% Lycra, or other materials as long as they are textile materials.

These swimmers might be trying to guard themselves from the cold water, or the steely sun. More often than not, though, they are professionals who use the costume to stream line their bodies in an attempt to shave off a few seconds on their swimming time. But for most people, who are simply looking to finish the swim in the allocated time period, something more simple and traditional will suffice.

Next we take a look at caps. The Midmar Mile association kindly sponsors each swimmer with their own plastic slap-on, these are made of latex and are thin and inexpensive. Simply put, they hold your hair back. But for training purposes you may want to buy something a little more durable. Your best option is a cap made from silicone. These caps are a bit thicker and more durable. These are also used by professionals and help in streamlining efforts. Although some still prefer the feel of water running through their hair while they glide though the water, and use Lycra caps instead, as they are made from your swimsuit materials; they do tend to create more drag. These are perfect if you are mostly worried about keeping your luscious locks out of your eyes.