Generous swimmers in the pool for a cause

THE annual Maccabi National Swimathon has wrapped up for another year, with more than $28,000 raised for Maccabi Swimming and the Multiple Sclerosis Society.

After Melbourne kicked off the event last month, Sydney, Brisbane and Perth followed suit as dozens of swimmers, young and old, hit the water for the 12-hour-long event.

In Sydney, the Maccabi Swimming squad had the largest representation of the four teams and took its tally to almost $5000.

It was joined by the Gefilta Fishes from the north shore, a group of triathletes assembled by Anne and Michael Besser and a small contingent from Moriah College.

All four teams swam a combined total of 118.8m, which equates to 4752 laps of the Moriah College pool.

Several swimmers used some of their laps as time trials, with Jared Elbourne, Judd Katz, Alon Pajor, and Lea Menaker all recording personal-best times, while the day also provided an opportunity for swimmers to receive some extra tuition from their coaches.

“We knew the fundraising would be tough and our numbers were down, but we still had over 150 people Australia-wide, 10 teams and four cities,” Clive Aaron, chairman of Maccabi’s National Swimming Committee, told The AJN.

“It’s a great event and the people who take part really enjoy it and take pride in supporting Maccabi and the wider community.

“It will remain on our calendar, as we raise what we need to support the Maccabiah team over a four-year cycle, and in addition, half of the donations go to MS, which is a very important charity that affects a lot of people.”

To donate visit: events.megaswim.com/2013-Maccabi-National-Swimathon

AJN STAFF

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