The quartet relay team of Dr. Mariam Saleh Binladen (@mariamsalehbinladen) from Saudi Arabia, Andy Donaldson (Scotland, 34, MSF bio here, @andy.swimming), 2016 Olympian Fatema Al Mahmeed (World Aquatic bio here), and 26-year-old Red Bull professional triathlete Abdulla Attiya, both from Bahrain, has been swimming non-stop for over 48 hours.
They have each swum 3-hour legs, rotating from the start at 4:00 am on Tuesday morning, over and over again during their counterclockwise circumnavigation swim in the 24°C water.
They are now in the midst of their fifth rotation and showing the grit and determination that ultra marathoners are known for.
Donaldson said, “We swim for 3 hours, [but] the 9 hours of rest [between each leg] surprisingly go by quite fast. We have faced tricky conditions navigating the tides and currents. So we have had to take a wider berth around the island due to the shallow waters. But we’re steadily making progress.”
Their support crew out includes the Bahraini Coast Guard and handlers Jay Prchal, Eric Watson, and Volodymyr Tkachenko while the swimmers are dealing with a variety of marine life including sea snakes.
After the adrenaline rush of the first 3-hour leg and the excitement of the first night of swimming wears off, fatigue quickly starts to settle in and each leg gets tougher and tougher. But they have each other and every relay member is determined to do their part and play their role in the team’s success.
The conditions and winds have generally remained good, but with air temperatures over 30°C, the extreme 170 km relay is a massively difficult challenge. Their escort flotilla includes 5 support boats with over 20 crew members.
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