What happens when you swim for 55 hours straight
Nathan Johnson
Published
08/24/2018
in
wow
Most athletes are known for pushing themselves to the limits and Maarten is no exception
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From a young age, Maarten van der Weijden from the Netherlands was known as a promising swimming talent -
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However, before his career could begin he faced a challenge that could have ended it all -
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At only 19 years old Maarten was diagnosed with cancer -
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But the resilient swimmer beat cancer and 7 years later he became a gold medalist at the Olympic Games in 2008 Beijing -
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Most athletes are known for pushing themselves to the limits and Maarten is no exception -
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Recently the swimmer attempted to swim the entire 200 kilometers (120 mi) long track of the Elfstedentocht in the Netherlands -
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The sole reason behind the event was to raise funds for cancer research, a cause close to Maarten’s heart -
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The swim was scheduled to take 3 days, including very short naps to rest -
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However, as Maarten swam further he fell ill and the water was deemed too polluted for him to continue -
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He had managed to swim a distance of 163 kilometers in 55 hours -
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Here’s how his hands and feet looked like after 55 hours in the water -
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The fundraising campaign was a huge success. The swimmer raised a stunning sum of more than $4 million! -
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Here’s what people had to say -
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From a young age, Maarten van der Weijden from the Netherlands was known as a promising swimming talent
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