A Slovenian marathon swimmer mr. Martin Strel has begun an attempt to swim the entire length of the Amazon river.
Martin Strel is determined to complete a 5430 km swim, despite the prospect of meeting piranhas, snakes, crocodiles and sharks along the way.
The 52 year old athlete has carefully planned the 70 day adventure and he is being accompanied by 20 people including doctors, river guides and a photographer.
The Amazon river has by far the greatest total flow of any river, carrying more than the Mississippi, Nile, and Yangtze rivers combined — so while it may not be the longest river, it is undoubtedly the largest; it is also known as The River Sea. Its drainage area, called the Amazon Basin, is the largest of any river system.
Martin Strel achievements:
The Yangtze River (China): June 10 – July 30, 2004, 4003 km, 51 days
The Mississippi river (USA): 4 July – 9 September 2002, 3797 km, 68 days
The Danube river (Europe): 25 June – 23 August 2000, 3004 km, 58 days
The Parana river (Argentina): November 15 – Dec 8, 2003, 1930 km, 24 days
And mamy more …
And today, April 8, 2007 he succeeded:
After six hours of swimming/suffering in which he poured out every last ounce of his energy, Martin has crossed the finish line after a seemingly endless final 27 km through huge waves and heavy rain. The unofficial Guinness totals are 5268 Km (3,274 Miles) swam over the course of 66 days.
Martin Strel’s homepage: http://www.martinstrel.com
