Tina Deeken and Tobias Prüßner Swim through the Lakes and canals of Súdwest-Fryslân

After a winter of success in the cold water swimming competitions, para swimmer Tina Deeken and fellow German Tobias Prüßner set off for Koudum in the Dutch province of Súdwest-Fryslân in June.

Deeken and Prüßner planned a tandem swim in the 22 km IJsselmeerzwemmarathon, but the event was cancelled due to poor weather conditions. However, open water swimming guide Martine Stam from MMSports suggested an alternative: a 30 km swim through the various lakes and canals in Súdwest-Fryslân.

Starting from the well-known coastal town of Stavoren, Deeken and Prüßner first swam via Workum to picturesque Hindeloopen. From there, they continued via Koudum back to Stavoren. Nestled in picturesque Friesland, they swam through mostly deserted stretches of land where only cows, horses, and sheep lined their route. Deeken recalls, “It was this unique experience of nature far away from people that made this marathon swim an absolute highlight.”

The duo set off shortly before 9 am and reached the port of Stavoren again at around 8 pm.

Deeken says about the longest swim of her career, “Although the sun was shining for most of the day, the occasionally strong Force 4-5 wind (on the Beaufort wind force scale) made the already exhausting swim even more difficult. I boarded the support boat after more than 8 hours and 21.5 km due to a lack of muscle control in my left arm.”

Deeken is unable to walk on land without the support of electric orthoses and walking sticks due to her disability. The next day in an open water competition in a nature reserve in the Netherlands, the Weerribben Zwemtocht offered by MMSports where she finished second in the 2 km race as the only para swimmer.