Courtesy of WOWSA, Sfax, Tunisia.
Before Nejib Belhedi set off on a 76 hour 30 minute 120 km Sfax to Djerba Marathon Swim in his native Tunisia this year, he created a branded series of solo swims called World Iron Swim by pulling boats with children, camels and people of increasingly greater weights between 2015 and 2017.
* On 14 February 2015, he boat pulled 180 kg for 7 km in the Kerkennah Sea in Tunisia.
* On 24 April 2015, he boat pulled 180 km for 11 km around Kerkennah Island in Tunisia.
* On 24 May 2015, he boat pulled 180 kg with two children, pilot Mahdi Aghir and observer Mahdi Aghir over 15.26 km across the Golfe de Skanes in the Monastir Sea in 6 hours 40 minutes from the One Resort Hotel beach to Dkhlia beach while being escorted by pilot Mahdi Aghir and pulling two children in a boat. The observer was Mohamed Rekik.
* On 31 July 2015, he boat pulled a mini Catamaran with 180 kg over 21 km in the Gulf of Gabes in Tunisia.
* On 10 September 2015, he boat pulled 180 kg over 20 km in Djerba Island Sea in Tunisia.
* On 7 October 2015, he boat pulled a 1.5-ton boat carrying a camel and his master over 4 km in the Mahdia Port in Tunisia (the Camel Swim).
* On 23 October 2015, he boat pulled a 2-ton boat with 3 people over 4 km in the Mahdia Port, Tunisia (the Olive Tree Swim).
* On 7 November 2015, he boat pulled a 21-ton ship named Hannibal with people 168 meters in Marina Tabarka in Tunisia with observer Hatem Askri.
* On 19 November 2015, he boat pulled a 22-ton ship named Mahdi with people over 200 meters in 11 minutes in Port El Kantaoui, Tunisia with observer Nabil Ouerzli.
* On 23 December 2015, he boat pulled a convoy of two ships totalling 70 tons including a ship name Mohamed Ali with people over 350 meters in 39 minutes Port El Kantaoui, Tunisia.
* On 26 March 2016, he boat-pulled a 23-ton ship named Albatross with observer Hatem Askri and a football team on board over 500 meters in 23 minutes in Marina Tabarka in Tunisia.
* On 28 May 2016, he boat pulled a convoy of 2 ships totalling 70 tons with people over 550 meters in 20 minutes in the Bizerta Channel in Tunisia.
* On 23 October 2016, he boat pulled a convoy of 3 ships totalling 100 tons including the 40-ton Mohamed Habib with pilot Rachid Jbalia, the 25-ton Noura with pilot Atef Neffati, and the 35-ton Bibane with pilot Nabil Jannadi over 550 meters in 32 minutes 30 seconds in the Bizerta Channel in Tunisia.
* On 22 May 2017, he boat pulled a ship named Hached – SONOTRAK totalling 1014 tons with people over 425 meters in 25 minutes in the Sfax Port in Tunisia.
Belhedi was nominated for the 2018 WOWSA Awards in the category of the World Open Water Swimming Performance of the Year for his Sfax to Djerba Marathon Swim along with following nominees:
1. Catalina Channel Crossing (USA) by Hank Wise
2. Century Swim around Key West (USA) by Bill Welzien
3. Great British Swim (UK) by Ross Edgley
4. HK360Swim Around Hong Kong Island (Hong Kong) by Simon Holliday
5. Ice Kilometer (Netherlands) by Sven Elfferich
6. Double Ice Mile (Germany) by Hamza Bakircioglu
7. Kangsha River Swim (Bangladesh) by Kshitindra Chandra Baisya
8. Lake Zürich Two-Way Crossing (Switzerland) by Katrin Walter
9. Santa Barbara Channel Crossing (USA) by Jim McConica
10. Sfax to Djerba Marathon Swim (Tunisia) by Nejib Belhedi
11. Traversée Internationale du lac St-Jean (Canada) by Edoardo Stochino
12. Travessia do Leme ao Pontal (Brazil) by Glauco Luise de Oliveira Rangel
13. Triple Country Swim (Italy-Monaco-France) by Carina Bruwer
14. Tsugaru Channel Tandem Crossing (Japan) by Nora Toledano Cadena and Mariel Hawley Dávila
15. Two-way Santa Cruz Island Crossing (USA) by Ken Mignosa
To register and vote on the WOWSA Awards and the 2018 World Open Water Swimming Performance of the Year here.
Copyright © 2008-2018 by World Open Water Swimming Association