The Travesía Ruta Olaya was held on February 9th when more than 100 swimmers set off on the 18th edition of the 22 km race from Pescadores Beach in Chorrillos to Cantolao Beach in Callao, Peru.

The event pays tribute to Peruvian hero José Silverio Olaya Balandra who was discovered while transporting confidential communications between the Government of Callao and the Lima Patriots during the Peruvian War of Independence in 1822-1823. He swam under the cover of darkness as a secret emissary, but was ultimately arrested, tortured, and killed. He was beaten with sticks, whipped, and his fingernails torn off, but he never revealed his mission.

The Travesía Ruta Olaya is an open water swim held in Lima Bay as a tribute to this Peruvian hero.

Eduardo Collazos Valle, Six Down, One To Go for the Oceans Seven

Eduardo Collazos Valle (Peru, 53, MSF bio here, @eduardo_collazos_) has completed 13 consecutive Travesía Ruta Olaya swims and is on the verge of completing the Oceans Seven with his most recent crossing of the Cook Strait.

He has completed the Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming and is one channel crossing away from achieving the Oceans Seven. He will have one more crossing – the Tsugaru Channel from Honshu to Hokkaido in northern Japan this coming July- to achieve the Oceans Seven, the first person from Peru.

• 2019: he swam the 33.5 km crossing of the English Channel from England to France in 11 hours 16 minutes
• 2021: he swam the 32.3 km Catalina Channel from Catalina Island to Palos Verdes in 9 hours 56 minutes
• 2022: he swam the 34.5 North Channel from Northern Ireland to Scotland in 12 hours 29 minutes
• 2023: he swam the 45 km Molokai Channel from Molokai Island to Oahu in Hawaii i 14 hours 18 minutes
• 2024: he swam the 14.4 km Strait of Gibraltar from Spain to Morocco in 4 hours 6 minutes
• 2025: he completed the 23 km Cook Strait in 9 hours 33 minutes from South Island to North Island in New Zealand.
• In July 2025, he will attempt the 19.5 km Tsugaru Channel in northern Japan at the age of 54.

© 2025 Daily News of Open Water Swimming

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