Adherbal Oliveira of the Leme-Pontal Swimming Association reported that Edson Clayon Pereira Vianna, a 62-year-old Brazilian who got into open water swimming to transition to a new lifestyle, completed the 36 km Travessia do Leme ao Pontal in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on August 2nd in 11 hours 15 minutes.
Coached by Viviane Inês Rodrigues da Silva Mendes, escorted by captain Tiago Alberto da Silva and LPSA Sérgio Luiz de Oliveira, and feeder Victor Ribeiro Naareth, Clayon became the Oldest Man to Swim from Leme to Ponta as the 74th person to complete a crossing.
Clayon started swimming in 2007 with the goal of changing his old habits and improving his quality of life. Since then, he has been participating in short open water races and completed his first 10 kmswim in 2010. A year ago, he decided to undertake the Travessia do Leme ao Pontal upon discussions with his partner and coach.
After five months dedicated to an intense preparation, his big day arrived. His swim window was filled with calm days with good currents. The forecasts indicated very favorable winds with intensities between 6 and 13 knots and the wave directions were also predominantly favorable.
August 2nd was chosen because the winds and currents were calmer until noon, but would intensify as the afternoon progressed.
His swim began at 1:34 am. His coach knew that Clayon would need to swim hard during the first few hours in order to advance as much as possible on the course before having to swim with stronger winds. Clayon continued as planned, progressing very well until the 30 km point,.
The forecast was accurate. After 10 hours of swimming, the wind picked up, but he continued to swim with a tranquil calm and intense concentration as he rounded the Pontal Rock and stepped onto the sands of Pontal Beach to finish in 11 hours 15 minutes with a huge smile on his face.
LPSA SOLO #74 from the Leme-Pontal Swimming Association (LPSA).
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