Buy me a case of whatever he's drinking.
Posted on 06/29/2002 6:46:47 AM PDT by aculeus
Strel trains by drinking a bottle of red wine every day
A Slovenian man hopes to set a new long distance world record by swimming the whole length of the Mississippi River in 66 days.
" We are taking Cvicek [Slovenian red wine] with us. We have to take at least what is necessary for me - and I have to have a bottle a day "
Martin Strel will plunge into America's second largest river on 4 July hoping to swim an average of 58 kilometres a day to cover 3,797 kilometres (2,360 miles) "I think my biggest problem will be strong winds and tides, but also alligators - and we are not talking small ones here - poisonous snakes and white sharks," he said.
"And don't forget it is a busy river - cargo ships sometimes reach up to 470 metres."
Mr Strel, a 47-year-old former professional guitarist, is already in the Guinness Books of Records, after becoming the first person to swim the entire length of the River Danube in 2000.
He completed the 2,860km (1,773 miles) journey in 58 days, swimming as an ambassador for the Worldwide Fund for Nature.
He also beat the world record for marathon swimming, held by an American.
Mr Strel was also the first to swim from Africa to Europe through the ferocious currents of the Straits of Gibraltar.
Wine lover
Mr Strel will be accompanied by a team in boats.
He likes to complement his training with his favourite local red wine and said his team has taken care of the vital element of his preparations.
"We are taking Cvicek [Slovenian red wine] with us. We have to take at least what is necessary for me - and I have to have a bottle a day."
"This means we have to take at least 70 bottles. And if something is left over, I'll share out the rest."
Mr Strel also hopes to break his own world non-stop swimming record set in July last year also on the Danube River.
He covered 504km in 84 hours and 10 minutes, beating the previous record of Argentina's Ricardo Hoffman - 481,5km in 84h 37min.
And, uh, "white sharks" in the Mississippi?
You are such a skeptic. :-)
Buy me a case of whatever he's drinking.
No the biggest problems will be undercurrents, barges, and all the unhappy things that float down the Mississippi drainage to the Gulf of Mexico, including but not limited to cars, houses, boxcars, dead cows, horses, etc. He will need the wine.
Strel trains by drinking a bottle of red wine every day
My thoughts exactly! I've been to Lake Itasca, the mouth of the Mississippi......he'll be able to walk the last couple of miles, 'cause The Mighty Miss begins as a pretty small trickle.
No the biggest problems will be undercurrents, barges, and all the unhappy things that float down the Mississippi drainage...Known in the sewage treatment industry as "whitefish".
Don't know what those are? Let your imagination run wild.
You beat me to it!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
