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SLOVENIA
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WIZZ MAGAZINE
FIRSTSTROKES
Cravingadventure sincehewasachild,
Strel taughthimself to swim in the small
townofMokronog inSlovenia. “Iwas six
yearsoldwhen I started swimming,”he
says. “Waterwasapartofus.Between
MayandOctoberwewere in thewater
everydaycatching fishand fightingwith
snakes. Iwasaprettygood swimmer,
even though Ididn’tknow it. Looking
back, though, I couldbeat anyone.Being
under thewater for twominuteswas
nothingspecial forme.”
At 16yearsold, Strel toldhismother
thathewas leaving forLjubljana,
Slovenia’scapital. “I said tomymother,
‘I loveeveryonebut I can’tmove forward
here.’ I gotonmybikeandcycled65km
on terrible roads.Thatwas thebegin-
ning.”Since then, Strel has swum the
world’smightiest rivers, setupawild
swimmingholidaycompany,writtena
bookandhada filmdedicated tohim.
Andyethe remains relativelyunknown.
PREPARATIONS
Strel’sworld swimwill cost approxi-
mately$15million in total, includinga
full support crewand60mboat,which
hesays is“not somuch”whenyou
considerwhat aprofessional athletegets
paid. “Youmight get anokay footballer
in theUK for that,”he laughs.By the time
you’re reading this, Strelwill bepaddling
the first legofhisyear-long trip. Starting
onUS shores, hewill navigate theglobe
through theAtlantic, Pacificand Indian
Oceans, aswell as theMediterranean,
Adriatic,Black,Caspian,RedandTasman
Seas.Howdoeshe train for suchamonu-
mental feat?
“Idon’tdoanything special,” says the
unfazeableAquaman,whoseSlovenian
peersareprobably loungingonabeach
somewhere, living the retired lifeabout
now.But thequiet life isnot forStrel.
“I’mactive, I feel like I’m25yearsold,”
heexplains. “I go to thegym twoor three
timesaweek. I alsodoa littlecross-coun-
try skiing.” Inhis latest adventure, he
plans to swimbetween fiveand12hours
non-stopeveryday, dependingon the
MARTINSTRELTIMELINE
24,904+
MIles
450+
Days
$15million
1x60m
Boat
STREL
WORLD
SWIM
2000
Swam theDanube –
3,004km in58days
2001
Swam504kmon theDanube
non-stop in84hours
2002
Mississippi River,
3,797km in68days
conditionsandcurrents. Expertshave
previouslyclaimed thatStrel’sbodydis-
posesof lacticacidunlikeotherpeople’s,
so thathedoesn’t get fatiguedduring
marathon swims.ButStrel says thekey
tohis success ishis stomachof steel.
“I’mnever sick,”he says (hisYangtze
swimbeing theexception). “Idon’tknow
why.” Itmaybebecausehe topsuphis
alcohol levelsdaily–purely toprevent
illness, of course.
CHALLENGESAHEAD
With riskof vicious storms, hurricanes
and tornadoes, thebiggest testduring
Strel’sworldswimwill be theweather.
“Youneverknowwhatwill happen
tomorrow,”he says. Saltier seaswill play
havocwithhis skinandeyes. “My longest
single swimwas53hoursand50minutes
in saltwater,” remembersStrel. “My
mouthandeyeswere fightingwith the
salt; itwas like theywereon fire.”
Aside from thechangeableweather
conditions, Strelwill have tocontend
withnature. “Ihaveagood relationship
withpeopleandanimals, butworking
with theseanimalsyoualsohave to
beakindof scientist,”he says.Deadly
predatorsare somethinghe’s trained for
well.Duringa swim inSouthAfricahe
encounteredgreatwhite sharks. “It’s just
abiganimal,”dismissesStrel. “It looks
a littledangerousmaybe, especially its
mouth, but I’mnot afraidof swimming
with sharks.”DuringhisAmazon swim
hecontendedwith snakes, electric fish,
crocodiles, andcandiru fish
