Sandy Pickering Drake summed up the tough Molokai Channel crossing of Petar Stoychev, “Petar faced bad weather, strong northerly currents that made the swim a lot longer [than expected]. I am so proud of Petar pushing through, but I am not surprised. He finished.”

But it was not easy. It was downright tough, exactly what the Molokai Channel usually offers to its challengers.

Part of the Oceans Seven, the Molokai (Kaiwi) Channel is somewhat of a misnomer. Linguistically speaking, a channel is an expanse of water that joins two larger areas of water. But the Molokai Channel is really just 42 kilometers of water between two tiny volcanic islands in the middle of the biggest body of water on Planet Earth. Its currents, its depth, its marine life, and the size of its ocean swells are like no other.

Mother Nature makes any crossing of the Molokai Channel difficult at best.

The 47-year-old Stoychev, a four-time Olympian, is considered by some as the greatest marathon swimmer of all time. His two English Channel crossings (7 hours 21 minutes in 2006 and 6 hours 57 minutes in 2007) are indicative of his speed and stamina. His professional marathon swimming track record between 1993 and 2012 is unparalleled with 11 consecutive world championship titles and victories all over the world, from many of the fastest Ice Miles and Ice Kilometers in history to a 25 km FINA World Championship in 2011 in 33°C water.

But Stoychev faced off against Mother Nature on a day she chose to be particularly difficult.

His longest-lasting marathon swim to date was a 10 hour 49 minute victory at the 1998 Maratón Acuática Internacional Ciudad de Mar de Plata in Argentina. He knew the Molokai Channel was tough so he brought 15 hours worth of food and hydration – just in case.

But even that amount was not enough.

He bucked the currents for hours, eventually and stubbornly finishing after 18 hours 53 minutes. Chafed and fatigued, he started in the dark at 3:01 am and finish in the dark at 9:54 pm.

But he finished on the eastern shores of Oahu.

Stoychev never gave up – and neither did Mother Nature making his crossing exceedingly difficult.

© 2024 Daily News of Open Water Swimming

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