The 19th annual MS Mighty Swim raised more than $150,000 for people living with multiple sclerosis in South Australia and the Northern Territory.
Held at the Unley Swimming Centre on 10 and 11 February, the much-loved community event drew almost 350 participants who were as enthusiastic as ever. Throughout the event, tales of inspiration were aplenty.
From MS Society client Vicki, who didn’t think she could swim a single lap but ultimately contributed 8km to her team’s tally after some encouragement, to 89-year-old Rita who has swum in every MS Mighty Swim since its inception in 2005.
“Lee (Team MS captain) encouraged me to join the team and said, ‘I don’t really think I can swim,’ and she told me I could use a pool noodle,” Vicki says.
“I said I can do two laps and that’s all I’m capable of. Well turns out I quite enjoyed it; Lee put some flippers on me and another girl gave me a board and Lee taught me to do freestyle and followed me down the pool and then taught me backstroke on the way back, and that was it, I was off.
“I shocked myself. I proved to myself that I can do this. MS isn’t stopping me from doing this.”
Across the 24-hour event, which was watched on by hundreds of spectators, more than 9,800 laps– 980km – were swum by 346 swimmers in 15 teams. That’s further than the distance from Adelaide to Melbourne!
Nev’s Snorkellers continued its winning streak for Most Laps Swum for the fourth year in a row, completing 785 laps, with Aqua Amigos hot on its tail covering 754 laps.
Team Atlantis Frogs was this year’s highest fundraising team bringing in more than $17,000, while the team’s captain Peter Bradley, was the highest individual fundraiser with more than $9,700 raised. Newcomer Mary Amanatidis made a remarkable debut coming second in her inaugural year participating in the MS Mighty Swim, raising over $7,500.
Although ineligible for the highest fundraising team prize due to their larger cohort, Team MS achieved its highest fundraising milestone ever, with more than $31,600 raised! The team, which mostly comprised people living with MS or another disability, collectively swam over 110km throughout the event.
The event received incredibly generous support from the MS Society’s new IT providers, OpSys, who jumped in and donated $7,500 towards a matched-giving day, significantly boosting donations. Additionally, OpSys donated a further $7,500 in celebration of the event reaching and beating its $120,000 target, and actively engaged in their own team fundraising efforts.
We also express our gratitude to Cruising Australia for its inaugural sponsorship, generously donating a four-night cruise to the highest fundraiser and a $1,000 voucher to the runner-up, plus $100 vouchers to all participants. An incredible gesture that added to the event’s success and impact. MS Society SA & NT CEO Jannine Jackson, who once again hit the water to contribute laps to Team MS with her floaty, MSty, described the weekend as “spectacular”.
“It’s incredibly heartening to see what this event means to our community and the effort everyone puts in to make it the success that it is,” Ms Jackson said.
“While it is a fantastic and fun weekend for all the family, it’s important to recognise that all money raised directly supports vital services for people living with multiple sclerosis in South Australia and the Northern Territory.”
On behalf of the MS Society SA & NT, thank you to participants, donors and volunteers for making the 2024 MS Mighty Swim the huge success that it was. Bring on 2025 and the 20th anniversary celebrations! We have something a quite special in the works – stay tuned for updates!
If you’d like to support he MS Mighty Swim, whether through sponsoring a Match Giving Day, donating prizes, or participating in the event, please email events@ms.asn.au
Check out all the action from the day in our photo gallery here.