The 2023 Wollongong MS Mega Swim, the 24-hour team swimming relay that raises funds for Australians with multiple sclerosis, will be held this Saturday, March 11, at the University of Wollongong’s UniActive pool.
The all-ages and all-abilities fundraising event is expected to attract 120 swimmers, with 80 entrants across eight teams having already signed on to take part as of Monday, March 6.
Whether you’d like to swim one lap, 10 laps or 50 laps; doggy paddle, freestyle, backstroke or butterfly; event organiser Bill Wright, of Figtree Lions Club, said there’s an opportunity for everyone.
“It's a fun event, it's a team event [and it’s] for people of all ages,” Bill said.
“I believe we've got three six-year-olds this year that are competing in one of the teams.
“You can dog paddle – you can do whatever you like, basically – as long as [a team member is] in the pool for the entire 24 hours.”
The eight registered teams have raised almost $10,000 to date, with this year’s target set at $40,000, though Bill says any amount raised for people with multiple sclerosis will be valued greatly.
“Multiple sclerosis is a chronic and often debilitating disease which attacks the central nervous system, the brain's spinal cord and the optic nerves, and it’s the most common neurological disease in young adults and often attacks people at the time of their lives when they're planning families and building a career,” Bill said.
“All the money raised is contributed to MS Go For Gold Scholarships, which is a financial assistance program providing services to directly benefit people living with multiple sclerosis. That can be for any purpose – so could be for sport, could be for work, it could be for entertainment, it could be for all different travel [needs]."
Bill said the Wollongong MS Mega Swimmers had, to date, raised nearly $500,000 in total.
This year’s MS Mega Swim is officially the 12th of its kind in 13 years – Covid disrupted one year’s event – and Bill has organised it for the past decade. Though he said 80 participants was great, he would like to see more swimmers join in on Saturday and entries will remain open until the swim kicks off at 12pm.
“If they haven't registered [or] they haven't got a team, we'll find a team for them. If they want to come and register on the day, I'm sure some of the teams will be happy to have another swimmer,” Bill said.
“The teams are formed with friends, family or members of sporting and social groups [who] come together to swim for a good cause.
“You can create a team with anyone for any reason – it's completely up to you.”
For more information on how to register, visit the 2023 Wollongong MS Mega Swim website.
