52-year-old Slovenian swimmer Martin Strel has set a world record by swimming the length of the Amazon River – but somehow, this article just doesn’t make it sound like much fun:
By Thursday evening, he was struggling with dizziness, vertigo, high blood pressure, diarrhea, nausea and delirium, his Web site said. But despite having difficulty standing and being ordered by the doctor not to swim, Strel was obsessed with finishing the course and insisted on night swimming.
+++
He said he was lucky to have escaped encounters with piranhas, the dreaded toothpick fish, which swims into body orifices to suck blood, and even bull sharks that swim in shallow waters and can live for a while in fresh water.
+++
Cramps, high blood pressure, diarrhea, chronic insomnia, larvae infections, dehydration and abrasions caused by the constant rubbing of his wet suit against his skin frequently tormented him.
Strel, who lost some 26 pounds, said there were times he felt such pain in his arms, chest and legs, “that I could not get out of the water on my own.”
Why? Because it was there, I guess.