The 2020 Midmar Mile open water race took place over the weekend at the Midmar Dam north of Pietermaritzburg, South Africa.
Recognized in the past by the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s largest open water swimming event, the race is segmented into group divisions by age, with elite swimmers typically entered in the respective men’s and women’s 14 to 30 group. This year more than 11,500 entrants completed the Mile across the categories.
The nation of South Africa took both the overall Midmar Mile titles for 2020, with Michael McGlynn taking the men’s and Robyn Kinghorn leading the women.
McGlynn upgraded his silver medal from last year to gold this time around stopping the clock in 18:26. That held off countryman and two-time Olympian Chad Ho who settled for runner-up, while Henre Louw rounded out the top 3. Ho has won this event 7 times across his career.
20-year-old Kinghorn led for the majority of the race and hit the time pad in 21.16, while Samantha Randle and Victoria Earle also landed on the podium in 2nd and 3rd places, respectively. Michelle Weber, runner-up last year, finished in 4th.