Kimberley Prytz, a Capetonian adventure swimmer, will become the first person in history to swim from Melkbostrand to Robben Island and back when she takes to the Cape’s unpredictable waters later this month.
Prytz plans to swim 20.5 kilometres in 12 hours to raise much-needed funds and awareness for Goedgedacht Olive Peace Grove and their Path Onto Prosperity initiative.
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While front crawl is the traditional stroke for this swim, no one has completed it or used breaststroke as their preferred method. This will be Prytz’s seventh swim to the former prison island using this stroke, but her first in a double Melkbos attempt.
Prytz, who will turn 49 years old in May, hails from the Cape’s Southern Suburbs and is a music teacher who teaches singing and piano. She’s also an avid karate practitioner. She incorporates Qi Gong and Tai Chi into her daily training practice.
Of why she has chosen the Goedgedacht Trust as a beneficiary for her latest adventure, Prytz says: “Malmesbury is an area I visit often, and the work the Trust does with rural children is exemplary and I couldn’t imagine a more valid and connected cause for me than supporting an organisation dedicated to peace and prosperity, which is what the world needs now more than ever.”
Valerie Govender, marketing manager at Goedgedacht Trust, is elated that attention is being drawn to the project’s good works.
Govender says, “We are delighted that Kim has chosen Goedgedacht as her charity of choice as she swims this gruelling course. Our Path Onto Prosperity centres is not just beacons of hope in the rural communities of the Swartland but catalysts for a brighter future too. As we celebrate 30 years, we are so very grateful for friends like Kim who support our work and allow us to make a difference where it matters most.”
Prytz’s Prosperity Swim will be supported by Big Bay Events, who will monitor the swim and record it for posterity. Of utmost importance to Prytz is her message to anyone who has ever been told that they can’t do something. Rather, with the right mindset, anything is possible.
She says, “These long hours in the water are not a hardship for me as it has emerged as a practice of “profound meeting” and an opportunity to do a bit of good. My friend Lisa Kirsch initiated a training camp a few years ago and I have not looked back since and continue to follow my nose so to speak as to where to next.”
Prytz, who stopped taking no for an answer the first time she entered the water for a long-distance swim, rises at 4am each morning and begins the day with meditation, followed by a 45-minute run and early morning Karate training seven days a week.
She also ensures her mind is in tip-top condition with 10 hours of Qi Gong or Tai Chi per week and several sessions of warrior training or boxing. In between all of this, she shares her expertise with her students.
To support Kim’s next big adventure, you can donate to Olive Peace Grove.
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Picture: Unsplash
