Courtesy of Canah along the Danube River, Germany.

Romanian Avram Iancu continues on his stage swim of 2,860 km, forecasted to last 60 days, along the Danube River through Europe.

The 41-year-old librarian from Petrosani, Transylvania started his stage swim from Donaueschingen in the Black Forest in Germany. He is now heading into Day 78 as each day is a dynamically different replication of the day before.

Day 75 on September 2nd

Iancu swam swam 39 km today, reaching the 493 km milestone. “It has been an excellent day for swimming,” as he was greeted by a warm welcome from a few hundred followers in Giurgiu, a town in Romania which lies on the Danube. “I am full of positive vibes after today – really needed this as I am both mentally and physically exhausted.”

He also passed Bechet, a Romanian town where more people were waiting for him to swim with and cheer him on.

The distance traversed on the Danube from Day 1 to Day 75: 2,367 km

The distance remaining to be covered on the Danube: 493 km

Day 76 on September 3rd

Triggered by the positive effects of yesterday’s welcome in Giurgiu, Iancu swam 45 km today, reaching the 448 km milestone. While the first 15 km the weather was excellent, a ‘storm without rain’ started after the first break. “The wind was very strong, but it was thankfully blowing from behind. I passed by a little beach on the river and the storm lifted so much sand in the air that I was breathing sand through my mouth despite being in the middle of the river.“

Iancu was pleased to have another fan wanting to swim next to him for a few kilometers. Another boat from the border police has been by his side for the whole day. “The policemen were really impressed to see the effort I am applying during each day of this journey.”

The distance traversed on the Danube from Day 1 to Day 76: 2,412 km

The distance remaining to be covered on the Danube: 448 km

Day 77 on September 4th

Iancu started off early today in an excellent mental and physical state, very determined to swim 48 km and reach the 400 km milestone, escorted once again by a border police boat throughout the day. He beat his personal goal of swimming 15 km before lunch, all despite the challenging weather with much wind and heavy waves that slowed his pace.

After lunch, the wind picked up and required more energy in order to move forward. He swam another 15 km in the second stage, but in the third and last part of the day he only managed to swim 7 km. He totaled 40 km for today and reached the 408 km milestone. “It was not proper swimming – it was a fight with the waves, a fight to stay afloat, a fight to survive. All in all, it has been both a successful and unsuccessful day. I am disappointed I couldn’t reach the 400 km milestone, but given the weather conditions I am proud I swam 40 km today. I was completely exhausted, and hope to finish this journey over the next 10 days.”

The distance traversed on the Danube from Day 1 to Day 77: 2,452 km

The distance remaining to be covered on the Danube: 408 km

A report on his stage swims between Days 1-9 is posted here.
A report on his stage swims between Days 10-13 is posted here.
A report on his stage swim on Day 14 is posted here.
A report on his stage swims between Days 15-16 is posted here.
A report on his stage swim on Day 17 is posted here.
A report on his stage swim on Day 18 is posted here.

A report on his stage swims on Day 19-20 is posted here.
A report on his stage swims between Days 21-23 is posted here.
A report on his stage swims between Days 24-27 is posted here.
A report on his stage swim on Day 28 is posted here.
A report on his stage swims between Days 29-32 is posted here.
A report on his stage swims between Days 33-35 is posted here.

A report on his stage swims between Days 36-41 is posted here.
A report on his stage swims between Day 41-44 is posted here.
A report on his stage swims between Days 52-54 is posted here.
A report of his stage swims between Days 55-58 is posted here.
A report of his stage swims on Day 59 is posted here.
A report of his stage swims on Day 60-62 is posted here.
A report of his stage swims on Day 63-64 is posted here.
A report of his stage swims on Day 65-69 is posted here.
A report of his stage swim on Day 70 is posted here.
To follow Iancu on Facebook, visit here.

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