Even swimming 48.5 km at a water temp of 14ºC (57ºF), the conditions did not get to Hungarian Gábor Molnár.

Starting at 6 am from the dam of Békésszentsndrás and finishing on the beach of Csongrád, where the river Körös flows into the bigger river the Tisza in Hungary, Molnár completed his longest swim ever in 11 hours 58 minutes. “It was a long day, but the water temperature was 14ºC, so I didn’t even wear a swim cap or ear plugs.”

But while the temperature was warm enough for the tough Hungarian, he did show his humanity when the grind eventually got to him. “Over the last 90 minutes, I had to do breaststroke due to severe pain in both of my shoulders. But I finished the swim and that is what is the most important. It was just as tough as my English Channel swim. It felt really heavy on my shoulders and my knees, but the presence of my loved ones and all the messages helped me through the tougher moments.”

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