Sunday, September 13, 2015

Martin Strel To Swim Around The World In 450 Days by WOWSA


Photos by Angus McIntyre. Article courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California.

Yesterday, Martin Strel announced his Strel’s World Swim during the Clean WaterSwim in New York.

The 60-year-old Big River Man has swum down the Amazon River in 2007 (swimming 5,268 km (3,273.38 miles) through Peru and Brazil from February 1st to April 8th), the Yangtze River in 2004 (swimming 4,003 km (2,487 miles) through China from June 10th to July 30th), the Mississippi River in 2002 (swimming 3,797 km (2,360 miles) through America from Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico from July 4th to September 9th): Swam entire length of the Mississippi River, beginning in northern Minnesota and finishing at the Gulf of Mexico, covering 3,797 km (2,360 miles), the Danube River in 2001 (in 84 hours 10 minutes from from Melk in Austria to Paks in Hungary), covering 84 hours and 10 minutes, and the Paraná River in 2000 (swimming 3,004 km (1,866 miles) in South America from June 25th to August 23rd.

He considers his next solo stage swim to be his biggest challenge ever where he plans to swim around the globe, swimming 5-12 hours per day for 450 days depending on the weather and changing currents. He will start in Long Beach, California on March 22nd 2016 and will swim through oceans, rivers, canals and other bodies of water through 107 countries.

"Where no man has gone before," as he describes the event that will begin on World Water Day as designated by the United Nations. If successful, Strel claims he will swim the entire distance around the globe – potentially a cumulative total of 24,901 miles (40,074 km). 


"I want to invite organizations and individuals to join my commitment to peace, friendship, and clean water. It is not about me achieving the impossible. It is about focusing the world’s attention on the need for change. This is a challenge for people to step off the boat and join the World Swim for peace, friendship and clean water."

The details of the stage swim are still being worked out, but Strel says his swim will include swimming in the Panama and Suez Canals, the English Channel, the Amazon again as well as swims across the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and the Red Sea.

The logistics organizer of the event is Arizona-based TDG Sports. “We are excited to partner with Martin in organizing and managing the Strel World Swim. Martin’s heart and motive brings to light the global crisis in our waters and the effect on the human race,” said Jerry Dellaportas, President at TDG Sports. “Unlike the skepticism of global warming, the crisis of our waters globally is real and scientifically proven. This is not a liberal or conservative awareness campaign – this is a survival message campaign for the future of the world.”

It will be interesting to learn more about the details of Strel’s World Swim. Will Strel use a wetsuit? Will he use fins? Will he swim every day? Will he sleep upon escort boats as he drafts along currents in the oceans and rivers of the world? How many miles are the cumulative straight-line tangents between the numerous start and finish points of his planned swims? So many questions about a swim that must be incredibly difficult to organize and logistically plan.

Copyright © 2015 by World Open Water Swimming Association
From World Open Water Swimming Association's Daily News of Open Water Swimming





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