Courtesy of Adherbal de Oliveira, Leme to Pontal Swimming Association, Brazil.

On January 11th, Edgar Adalberto Coelho set off on his second attempt of the 35 km Travessia do Leme ao Pontal along the coast of Rio de Janeiro.

In December 2017, Coelho made his first attempt of the course, but he did not finish because of the currents and wind.

But his DNF of 14 hours where he was pulled only 3 km from the finish only served to motivate him even more. He secured a second window between January 11th and 17th.

“Starting near midnight, Edgar was very happy and determined to complete the challenge. He believed that with the experience of the previous swim, his challenge could be simpler,” reported Adherbal de Oliveira of the Leme to Pontal Swimming Association.

“However, this time, he was tested during the middle of the challenge when the wind turned suddenly to the southwest with great intensity while a storm threatened. He was very brave and swam very strongly against the wind and the oncoming waves. After two hours of fighting the elements, he was exhausted. Edgar’s energy was completely depleted, but he still had about 18 km to go.

His support team tried to push Edgar but he no longer had the energy to maintain a strong pace and ended up becoming very vulnerable to the currents. The pilot performed several maneuvers so Edgar was aligned with the undulations of the ocean. The strategy was successful and he started to advance very slowly towards Pontal Beach.”

Ultimately after 14 hours 40 minutes he arrived at Pontal, walked upon the shore and was able to raise his arms on shore, celebrating his finish as the 12th person in history to finish the swim.

Those interested can access the Leme to Pontal Swimming Association at www.swimlpsa.com.br and request registration from secretary@swimlpsa.com.br.

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