Last minute entries are open for the 2025 aQuellé Midmar Mile – and for the first time, Mr Price Foundation is one of the beneficiaries of the  Charity Challenge. Six South African swimmers will collectively swim 32 miles (over 50,000 metres) on 6 and 7 February to raise funds for our transformative youth empowerment programmes.

Leading the charge with 48 miles and his 19^th entry into the annual event, Durban leadership development coach Craig Stuart will be the first-ever swimmer to take on the challenge for us. 

Swimming alongside Craig in the 8-mile Charity Challenge will be Magin Munsami, James Carr, Andre Mulder, Karen Otto and Renay Otto. These champions will be swimming in Maxed Elite swimsuits proudly supplied by our event partner, Mr Price Sport.

“The aQuellé Midmar Mile is the biggest open water event in the world. I am pumped to participate as the inaugural member of Mr Price Foundation’s charity swim team. The Foundation’s values are aligned with mine and I feel privileged to take up this opportunity,” said Craig. 

Over 14,000 swimmers of all abilities are expected to add this iconic event to their list of accomplishments in 2025. The aQuellé Midmar Mile has raised over R19 million for various charities since 2016.  

“The aQuellé  Midmar Mile is in its 52nd year and we have always taken pride in contributing to the community by having a charity section to raise funds. Before COVID, we reached the R4 million target and would very much like to reach that or get close to that in the 2025 event. We managed to break R2 million in the last two years, so the swimmers have done well to support the charities,” said aQuellé  Midmar Mile Race Director Wayne Riddin.  

The Charity Challenge takes place two days prior to the actual aQuellé  Midmar Mile on 8 and 9 February. It gives swimmers the option to enter an 8-Mile or 16-Mile event, with 8-Mile swimmers completing four miles each day, and 16-Mile swimmers completing eight miles each day.   

Charity swimmers can enter as individuals or relay teams of two or four. Members of a two-person team swim two miles each per day, while members of a four-person team swim 1 mile each per day.  

Craig has completed this endurance charity swim twice previously, undertaking the 8-Miler in 2016 for CHOC and the 16-Miler in 2022 for Happy Bundles.  

“Raising awareness and money for a good cause, with people you enjoy and who just ‘get it’, makes the journey so much more rewarding and fun,” said Craig. 

Craig encouraged others to support causes that are important to them. “If you have a talent or gift regardless of what it is, use it in service to others and I guarantee that the challenges our country faces will be halved,” he said.

With unemployment sitting at 45.5% among 15- to 34-year-olds, Mr Price Foundation Executive Director Octavius Phukubye said South Africa was swimming a metaphorical mile each day in the fight against youth unemployment. 

“Empowering our youth is not just a mission; it’s a necessity. By equipping them with the skills, education, and opportunities they need, we can transform challenges into triumphs. We thank Craig for raising funds to help us empower youth and we look forward to seeing more swimmers taking up a challenge to build a future together,” said Octavius.

Mr Price Foundation has been unlocking tomorrow’s potential for almost two decades. In the 2024 financial year, our JumpStart skills development programme created over 6,500 retail jobs for unemployed youth, our UpLift entrepreneurship programme developed 154 aspiring entrepreneurs, and our EduRise school programme supported over 25,000 primary school learners.

Charity Challenge swimmers need to raise a minimum of R10,000. Please support our swimmers by making a donation on the Kydrin fundraising platform: