Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California.

Dan Projansky finished the 2015 END-WET (57.9 km) in 15 hours 22 minutes, the 2014 END-WET (57.9 km) in 12 hours 2 minutes, the 2013 END-WET (43 km) in 14 hours 30 minutes, and the 2012 END-WET (43 km) in 14 hours 30 minutes.

But 2016 was not to be.

“Unlike previous years, this year the Red River of the North was very shallow and there was hardly a current,” said the banker from Illinois.

He got to the mile 15 mark, but Projansky and seven other swimmers were told that if they kept going, they would not make the finish in Grand Forks until after 10 pm. “For safety reasons we had to bail out. I was butterflying at a real good pace. If I chose freestyle, not finishing would not be an issue. I hate having a DNF next to my name in the final results.

I felt real strong and carried a good form. If the river had easy access, I would of kept going. Safety though is most important. I’ll be back.”

* DNF can mean Did Not Finish or Did Not Fail, but in Projansky’s case, it can also mean Do Not Freestyle.

Copyright © 2016 by World Open Water Swimming Association