The charismatic and visionary Marcos Díaz charmed his peers at he picked up his World Open Water Swimming Man of the Year award at the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame brunch at the United Nations on Sunday.

In an appropriate setting, the United Nations was also finish to the last swim of Marcos’ innovative Swim Across The Continents project. “On the steps of the United Nations, I presented over 250,000 signatures from people around the world supporting the UN’s Millenium Development Goals.”

The global audience of open water swimmers, coaches, pilots, observers, coaches and administrators sat enraptured by the Dominican Republican swimmer’s words and film documentary that highlighted his swim and the goals he achieved along the way.

Photo courtesy of Skip Storch.

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