Courtesy of Lucas Rivet, Río de la Plata, Asociación Cruce a Nado Río de la Plata.

Damián Blaum has been around a long, long time.
The 36-year-old recently crossed the Río de la Plata, a tough 42.2 km swim from Colonia Del Sacramento in Uruguay to Punta Lara in Argentina in 9 hours 6 minutes this week.

It was also 8 years ago today that the Argentine 2008 Olympic swimmer won FINA’s longest open water swim.

In one of history’s closest races over 50 miles (88 km to be exact), Blaum caught Alexander Studzinski of Germany at the beginning of the finish chute less than 100 meters from the finish and ultimately passed him on the very last stroke after 8 hours 23 minutes.

Argentina swept the podium when teammate Pilar Geijo won the women’s race in 8 hours 34 minutes, finishing the 54-mile FINA Grand Prix race from the city of Hernandarias to Paraná in 21ºC water.

2010 Maratón Internacional Hernandarias – Parana Male Results
1. Damián Blaum (ARG) 8:23:21.54
2. Alexander Studzinski (GER) 8:23:23.22
3. Rodolfo Valenti (ITA) 8:25:02.66
4. Andrea Volpini (ITA) 8:28:53.76
5. Rok Kerin (SLO) 8:32:52.14
6. Gabriel Villagoiz (ARG) 8:34:32.20
7. Evgenij Pop Acev (MKD 8:37:16.54
8. Guillermo Bértola (ARG) 8:39:17.06
9. Emanuel Corsiglia (ARG) 8:49:06.16
10. Mauro Nappa (ITA) 9:24:50.55
11. Juan Cordonnier (ARG) 9:55:53.78
12. Cristian Carrizo (ARG) 9:57:07.49

2010 Maratón Internacional Hernandarias – Parana Female Results
1. Pilar Geijo (ARG) 8:34:22.84
2. Esther Nuñez Morera (ESP) 8:40:02.16
3. Shelley Clark (AUS) 8:43:36.20
4. Noelia Petti (ARG) 9:12:43.44
5. Grith Sigsgaard (DEN) 9:25:06.45
6. Rita Vanesa Garcia (ARG) 9:37:43.06

Photos courtesy of FINA representative Jorge Delgado Panchana.

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