Marcus Rohrer Spirulina is a proud sponsor of one of the world’s most exciting sea swim races – the extreme 7.5km Cadiz Freedom Swim from Robben Island to Blouberg on May 7 & 8, 2011.
Marcus Rohrer Spirulina has proven to help boost energy and is the ideal supplement for athletes. The sponsorship is thus a perfect fit, said OTC Pharma CEO Maria Ascencao.
The Cadiz Freedom Swim is one of the toughest swim events of its kind in the world due to the icy ocean (around 13°C), strong currents and various other conditions. It not only tests swimmers’ resolve, but also celebrates South Africa’s Freedom Day and the birth of the country’s democracy -- while raising funds for Vista Nova School for children with learning disabilities.
About 50 development swimmers from Cape Town will participate in the race. They have been supported by the Cadiz Open Water Swimming Development Trust over the last three years which has assisted young people from the Cape Flats.
Bulgaria’s Petar Stoychev is among the participants and is arguably the most successful marathon swimmer of the last decade. He has over 50 wins in individual events and was the first man to cross the English Channel in less than seven hours.
He joins Australian sensation Trent Grimsey (multiple ocean race champion), Israel’s Daniel Katzir (two-times Israel open water champion) and South Africans Tyron Venter (multiple Cadiz Freedom Swim winner), Terence Parkin (Olympic silver medalist) and Barend Nortje (fastest South African across the English Channel) in the line-up for one of the most thrilling extreme ocean swim races in the world.
Top female international champions, Jen Schumacher (US) and Nuala Muir (UK), will be pitted against local favourites Sarah Kay, Lisa Cowling and Jenny White for honours in the women’s race.
The overall winner of the solo category will walk away with a whopping US$10 000 – one of the biggest cash prize in open water swimming in the world. And, the first non-wetsuit relay team across the line will take home US$5 000 – a record open water relay prize in South Africa.
Entries for the event, rated among the top 100 open water swims in the world (see: Worlds Top 100 open water swims), are being snapped up. For the first time, the number of solo entries has been capped at 120 for maximum swimmer safety, while up to 90 relay teams (two, three or four swimmers) are expected to make up the field of around 400 swimmers.
Solos participate in a cap, goggles and a standard Speedo costume only and are totally exposed to the elements. Even the toughest swimmer may succumb to the cold water and every solo swimmer and relay team must be accompanied by a support vessel with a second watching closely for signs of hypothermia. Strict safety measures and qualifying criteria are a characteristic of this event. On race day, officials and medical staff patrol the water while a fully equipped mini-hospital is erected by Medi-Clinic at the finish.
Apart from the bitterly cold water, swimmers are exposed to variable weather conditions and sea life. Sharks, which inhabit these waters, are a reality and swimmers are made aware of this risk.
Local big names this year include: Theodore Yach, Andrew Chin, Ryan Stramrood, Liz Webb, Tony Sellmeyer, Kieron Palframan, Phillip Chappell, Monika Hayes, Liz Webb, and Barkai himself who holds a Guiness World record for an Antarctic lake swim (1°C) in 2008. Also expected is blind swimmer Hein Wagner and at least two shark attack survivors – one of them Paralympics swimming sensation Achmat Hassiem.
Hassiem, who lost part of his right leg in a shark attack in 2006 and who participated in the solo category last year has entered the relay category and he and his team have their sights on the US$5 000 relay prize.
“This is one of the most intense and extreme swim races I have ever done and it’s an amazing swim,” said Hassiem. “The fact that you get such a huge sense of accomplishment at the end of the race in such extreme temperatures makes it more than just a swim from Robben Island to Blouberg. It’s a massive sense of personal achievement and all for a great cause,” he added.
For a range of print quality photos of the 2010 Cadiz Freedom Swim, click here.
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