From Olympic champions to those who had lost loved ones, from swimmers chasing seemingly impossible targets to others simply hoping to give something back, a diverse group lined the banks of Midmar Dam in KwaZulu-Natal over the past two days, all united by the same goal of raising funds for charity.
A festive two days of inspiring achievements, with millions raised for worthy causes, set the tone for what promises to be a thrilling aQuellé Midmar Mile weekend from 7-8 February.
Among those joining the charity challenge were two-time Olympic gold medallist in open water swimming Sharon van Rouwendaal of the Netherlands and South Africa’s own Chad le Clos, who completed eight miles over the two days in support of his own foundation.
“I didn't expect it to be that hard, the first six, if I'm being honest, but today was amazing. We did two today and six yesterday. I think just in general, the team was amazing. We had 27 people this year,” he explained, adding that the funds raised for the Chad le Clos Foundation each year are being put to great use.
“It's huge. We've helped a lot of kids, especially in Cape Town in the township of Gugulethu, and Blue Downs community, we support the Olive Tree Foundation. There are also a couple of swimmers we help breaking into the national team.”
Meanwhile, fellow Olympic medallist Terence Parkin is completing a gruelling 32 miles over four days, while his daughter, Leya, completed the 16-mile challenge on Friday in aid of animal charity Happy Yappers.
“The last two were honestly my strongest ones. I think the adrenaline was keeping me going because I just wanted it to be over, to be honest… I just couldn't be more excited and proud of myself,” said Parkin, adding that this is her 13th year of swimming at Midmar after starting at the age of nine.
After conquering 16 miles, she may just be following in her dad’s footsteps in 2027.
“It would be cool to do 32 miles next year… cool to be the first woman to do it. I'm kind of gunning for that. I proved to myself that my mind and my body are a lot more powerful than I give them credit for. So I just want to push my limits. You never know until you try.”
Some made the challenge even tougher than it needed to be, with Lieutenant Colonel Eugene de Wet completing two of his eight miles for cancer charity Pink Drive in full military kit, complete with a loaded pack and mock rifle.
“It’s just the example for not just my fellow soldiers, but also to my boys – I’ve got two boys – and to young men to say take on the challenge. It’s no limits, you only live once,” explained the 44-year-old De Wet, who works at the SA army headquarters in Pretoria.
“Also, we’ve been doing this for the charity, so that also makes it worthwhile at the end of the day. If you can change somebody’s life, it will be good.”
'I DO IT FOR MY LITTLE GIRL'
For others, the challenge was a much more personal one, with Carol Sacke swimming her seventh eight-mile challenge for children’s cancer charity CHOC in memory of her daughter, who passed away from an inoperable brain tumour at the age of eight.
“I do it for my little girl, Kelly, who passed away in 2010,” said Sacke. “Through that incredible grief, I have risen… So this is huge for me. Every year I do it, and I want to do it until I’m 102. Because you know what? If not, why not? And if you think you can, you’re halfway there… because you only get today. And tomorrow might not come, so today be happy and grateful for everything that is in your life.”
KZN Regional Manager for CHOC, Agie Govender, was thrilled with this year’s event, which saw 36 swimmers raising funds for the organisation.
“In terms of CHOC, this means that we can provide accommodation for children with cancer and their families. It means we can provide transport for children with cancer and their families so they can go home and come back for treatment without defaulting, because if you've got no money, you can't get to treatment.
“We can also provide food vouchers because when you've got cancer you need nutritional meals, and usually the patients that we take care of, our beneficiaries, are basically struggling, so these food vouchers help. And in the event of a death, this money also provides R1000 immediate assistance for the family. So for us, this Midmar eight-mile charity challenge means the absolute world.
“Thank you to Midmar and the organising committee. We really appreciate all the hard work that went in, and especially to our swimmers for going the extra eight miles, I suppose.”
The official races at the 2026 aQuellé Midmar Mile kick off on Saturday and conclude on Sunday.
Online entries are now closed, but those swimmers still wishing to take part can do so at the dam on the day. For more information, head to www.midmarmile.com