Mário José Marchi Vissali Pinto Completes Travessia do Leme ao Pontal

Courtesy of Adherbal de Oliveira, Travessia do Leme ao Pontal, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

After a long period of interruption due to the pandemic, the Travessia do Leme ao Pontal returned. 55-year-old Mário José Marchi Vissali Pinto had a great birthday swim when he completed the 36 km crossing from Leme to Pontal in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, considered the most beautiful and challenging marathon swimming challenge in Brazil.

Adherbal de Oliveira reported, “Mário Pinto is an experienced swimmer who completed the English Channel in 2018 in 12 hours 5 minutes. He showed a lot of tranquility and determination during the challenge.

Mário Pinto was accompanied by his girlfriend Denebe Lisboa Rocha, his friend Christiane Fanzeres, LPSA observer José Eduardo do Amaral Ferreira and experienced escort pilots Manoel Luiz Fernandez and Max Paim Viglio who supported the swim onboard the escort boat Ladeia V.

The swim started at 2 minutes after midnight November 25th. During the initial stretch along Copacabana Beach, the sea was a little wavy, but the water was comfortable with an average temperature of 24°C. Dawn on the Travessia do Leme ao Pontal course is always a special moment where the sun’s rays highlight the shoreline silhouette and islands off the coast of Rio de Janeiro.

Although he has trained for only two months due to the pandemic restrictions, Mário Pinto managed a strong pace throughout his crossing and continued with a stroke rate of 60 spm for a fast swim of 7 hours 43 minutes to become the 33nd person to finish, the fourth best time among neoprene swimmers.”

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