Cape Town Runner Turns His Painful Past Into a Mission to Help Others

Photo Credit: Alex Swartz (Instagram)

After overcoming addiction and homelessness, Alex is using Stride To Survive to raise awareness and encourage support for long-term interventions in Cape Town.

Cape Town, South Africa (12 October 2026) – Running has become about much more than putting one foot in front of the other. For Alex Swartz, it is a reminder of how far he has come, and an opportunity to help others find their way towards a better life.

Having experienced addiction and homelessness for around a decade, Alex knows what it means to face each day without knowing where he will sleep, what he will eat or where to turn for help.

Now, he is using that experience to raise awareness about homelessness in Cape Town through Stride To Survive, an initiative inspired by the distance people living on the streets often travel each day simply to meet their basic needs.

According to the initiative, people experiencing homelessness can cover an average of 21 kilometres daily as they search for food, work, social services and somewhere safe to sleep.

Stride To Survive challenges people to think about that daily reality by running or walking the same distance with a purpose: encouraging greater awareness and support for people experiencing homelessness.

He spent years battling drug addiction and homelessness, navigating a life shaped by uncertainty and the daily struggle to survive. A particularly traumatic experience became a turning point when he witnessed a friend being shot at close range during a gang-related incident.

Seeing what happened made him confront the possibility that he could have suffered the same fate.

It was the beginning of a change that would eventually see him rebuild his life.

Today, Alex is independent, employed and living in his own home. He pays his own rent and household bills and has been able to rebuild relationships with family members.

He credits the support he received from organisations such as Newton Homeless Ministries, where he accessed services including counselling and social work support, as part of his journey towards stability.

His experience has also shaped how he views people who are still living on the streets.

“It aches and gives me pain to see that there are still people suffering and going through homelessness, because I know what it’s like,” he shares.

His story also connects with the City of Cape Town’s A Better Way to Give campaign, which encourages residents to support people experiencing homelessness through established organisations rather than relying on once-off cash handouts.

Donations can help people access immediate necessities while also supporting longer-term interventions aimed at sustainable independence.

Alex’s journey is a reminder that rebuilding a life takes time, support and opportunities. By sharing his experiences and taking on the Stride To Survive challenge, he hopes to encourage others to look beyond the circumstances they see on the street and recognise the person behind them.