There are some swims you finish and think, βThat was tough.β And then there are swims you finish knowing you have been part of something that you will remember for a very long time. The Aweh Letβs Swim Kromme 14km was definitely both.Β
The build-up to the weekend had us watching the weather forecast rather nervously. The predictions were, quite frankly, terrible. So I did what any race organiser with an unhealthy relationship with weather apps would do β I performed a weather dance for an entire week and crossed every available finger and toe. Somehow, it worked.
Kromme delivered. There was no rain. There was a little wind. We had a neap tide, a river mouth that had been blown wide open by the recent storms, very little tidal push and water that was still very, very brown. But that’s the thing about swimming rivers. You don’t get guaranteed conditions. And that’s exactly why we love them.
The Kromme is alive. It changes with the weather, the tides, the wind, the storms and the seasons. Every swim is different β and every swimmer who enters has to accept the river on the day it chooses to show itself.
As the old saying goes: βNo man ever steps in the same river twice, for itβs not the same river and he is not the same man.β And on Saturday, that felt particularly true.
Pre-race Whispers
And then there were the pre-race whispers. Who was that across the room, how would they race it, would my training regime give me a shouting chance? Would the river work in their favour? Or would they work the river?Β
The Kromme 14km had a great line-up, and now we were about to test the weeks of prep. Nerves are a good thing! The Kromme had attracted some serious swimming talent. And suddenly those 14 kilometres seemed just a little more intimidating.
Race Morning: The Nerves Were Real
Saturday morning arrived. At the Small Boat Harbour, swimmers gathered, loaded into taxis and prepared for the journey up the river to the start at the upper reaches of the Kromme. There is always something surreal about that journey. You have trained for months. You’ve talked about the distance. You’ve looked at maps. You’ve imagined the finish. And then suddenly you’re sitting in a taxi with a bunch of other slightly nervous swimmers, heading somewhere you’ve never swum before.
Fourteen kilometres is a long way. Especially when you can’t see the finish.
As the swimmers arrived at the start, the nerves were palpable. There was excitement. There was nervous laughter. There were last-minute feeds being packed. There were goggles being adjusted for the hundredth time. And there was that unmistakable moment when everyone realised: βOkay. We’re actually doing this.β
And Then⦠We Swam.
No lanes. No lines. No black line to follow. Just the river. And this year, the river was spectacularly brown. For some swimmers, that was probably a little unsettling. For others, it was exactly what they had signed up for. Because this wasn’t a pool swim. This was an adventure.
The river dictated the day. The swimmers had to adapt. Every kilometre brought something different. The landscape changed, the water moved, the wind made itself known and the absence of a strong tidal push meant that swimmers had to work for every metre. And that’s what makes a 14km river swim so special.
You can’t control the river. You can only control how you respond to it.
The Race for the Finish π
And then there were those who weren’t simply there to experience the river β they were there to race it. From the moment the swimmers entered the water, Glen Gore made his intentions very clear, taking the lead from the start and setting the pace for the field. He held that lead all the way to the finish, crossing the line in an impressive 03:13:38 to take the overall win.
Second past the finish line Braam Botha, finishing in 03:28:46, hot on his heels was Scott Holmes coming in at 03:33:25.
Men’s Podium
π₯ Glen Gore β 03:13:38
π₯ Braam Botha β 03:28:46
π₯ Scott Holmes β 03:33:25
The women’s race was equally impressive, with Gail Wild taking the first female finish in 03:56:00. Nicola Montgommery followed in 04:11:58, with Diane Kelway completing the podium in 04:24:31.
Women’s Podium
π₯ Gail Wild β 03:56:00
π₯ Nicola Montgommery β 04:11:58
π₯ Diane Kelway β 04:24:31
These are some seriously impressive times for 14km of river swimming β particularly in a river that wasn’t exactly handing out free kilometres!
The Skins Warriors π₯Ά
And then there were the swimmers who looked at 15-degree water, looked at a 14km distance, and thought: βNo wetsuit. Let’s do this.β Respect.
Our skins category was a true test of endurance, with Welman Bartleman leading the way and completing the full 14km in 03:54:23. Pete Michaelides followed in 04:03:12.
Skins Podium
π₯ Welman Bartleman β 03:54:23
π₯ Pete Michaelides β 04:03:12
Swimming 14km in 15-degree water without the protection of a wetsuit is no small achievement. Chapeau, gentlemen. π₯Άπ
And Then There Were the Teams
Because sometimes an adventure is even better when you share it. Our first relay team across the line was Sean and Megan Flanagan, completing the Kromme 14km in an excellent 03:59:25.
They were followed by Amber Wilcock and Andrew Hall, who finished in 04:43:16.
Relay
π₯ Sean & Megan Flanagan β 03:59:25
π₯ Amber Wilcock & Andrew Hall β 04:43:16
The relay adds a completely different dynamic to a swim like this β handing over to your teammate, sharing the nerves, the excitement and eventually the finish. Two people. One river. One adventure.
The People Who Made It Possible
An event like this doesn’t happen because of one person. It happens because a whole community gets behind it. And we are incredibly grateful to every single person and organisation who helped make the Aweh Let’s Swim Kromme 14km possible.
π§ aQuellΓ© β Hydration Sponsor
A huge thank you to aQuellΓ© for keeping our swimmers hydrated throughout their Kromme adventure. Fourteen kilometres is a long way, and proper hydration is an essential part of endurance swimming. Having a trusted hydration partner alongside us made a huge difference.
πΊ St Francis Brewing Company β Host Venue
Thank you to St Francis Brewing Company for opening your doors to us and becoming our Kromme home. From Friday night’s registration to the post-race celebrations, it was the perfect place for swimmers to gather, swap stories and celebrate what they had just accomplished.
πΏ LovisaLife β Winner’s Sponsor
A huge thank you to LovisaLife for coming on board and adding an extra touch of wellness to our Kromme celebrations.
LovisaLife generously provided a LovisaLife hamper for both our overall male and female winners, giving our champions a little something special to enjoy after their incredible 14km achievement.
As a proudly South African natural wellness brand, LovisaLife was a wonderful fit for the Kromme β celebrating health, wellness, community and living life to the fullest.
Thank you, LovisaLife, for celebrating our winners with us and for being part of the Kromme family! πΏπ Love life with LovisaLife.
π‘ Cape St Francis Resort β Prize Sponsor
A very special thank you to Cape St Francis Resort, who gave us an incredible prize for our overall winner β a two-night stay in one of their beautiful two-bedroom apartments. Because after swimming 14km, we think a little relaxing and recharging is definitely deserved! Your Kromme adventure doesn’t necessarily have to end at the finish line.
π SuperSpar Village Square β Swimmer Recovery
And then there was the very welcome sight of fresh fruit at the finish! Thank you to SuperSpar Village Square for providing an individual fresh fruit hamper for every swimmer. After 14km, those fruit hampers weren’t just appreciated β they were devoured! Fresh, healthy goodness for athletes who had earned every bite.
And Then There Were the Paddlersβ¦
Our support paddlers deserve their own enormous thank you.
Out on the water, they became the eyes and ears of the swimmers β helping swimmers keep a good line, offering encouragement and providing that reassuring presence that makes such a difference when you’re deep into a long-distance swim.
Being out there for hours alongside swimmers isn’t always easy. But it’s incredibly rewarding. To every paddler, safety crew member, race director, volunteer, organiser, driver, photographer and behind-the-scenes helper: Thank you.
You are the reason the swimmers could focus on doing what they came to do β swim.
More Than a Swim
When we created Aweh Let’s Swim, we wanted to create something different.
Not just races. Not just finish times. We wanted adventures. We wanted people to experience rivers, oceans and places in a way that you simply can’t experience from the shore. And the Kromme 14km embodies that perfectly.
It’s challenging. It’s unpredictable. It’s beautiful. It’s sometimes uncomfortable. It’s a little bit crazy. And that’s exactly why we love it.
Every swimmer who stood on that start line had their own reason for being there. Some came to race. Some came to challenge themselves. Some came because 14km sounded like an impossible idea that needed to become possible.
But everyone became part of the same river for those kilometres. And that is something pretty special.
To Our Kromme Swimmersβ¦
Thank you for trusting us with your adventure. Thank you for getting up early, getting into that taxi and allowing us to take you somewhere upstream with no idea exactly what the river was going to throw at you.
Thank you for embracing the brown water, the wind, the conditions and the uncertainty. Thank you for swimming.
But most importantly, thank you for being part of the community that makes Aweh Let’s Swim what it is. The Kromme wasn’t the same river it was last year. And we weren’t the same swimmers who entered it. That’s the magic of open water.
You don’t simply swim through the river. For 14 kilometres, you become part of it. And then, eventually, you find your way back to shore.
No lanes. No lines. Just adventures. π Aweh. Let’s Swim.
