Martin Strel
Slovenian marathon swimmer Martin Strel, 52, swims the final stretch across Guajará Bay that branches off the Amazon River towards the port city of Belem, at the river's mouth, April 8, 2007, 67 days after beginning his swim in the Amazon headwaters in Peru. Strel, who holds Guinness Book records for swimming the Danube in Europe, the Mississippi in the United States and the Yangtze in China, swam the length of the Amazon to break his own record for the world's longest swim, having swum 5,268 kms (3,274 miles) according to the organization's Amazon Swim website. Reuters

A sixty-year-old marathon swimmer has announced he would swim 24,000 miles around the world to raise awareness on water pollution. The seasoned swimmer, Martin Strel, said he will embark on a journey across 107 countries starting in March 2016.

The journey is set take 450 days covering the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, the Amazon, the Red Sea, the Panama and Suez Canals, and the English Channel. Prior to the new journey, Strel has already swum in the largest, most polluted rivers in different regions across the globe, including the Amazon, the Danube in Eastern Europe and the Yangtze in China, with the same goal of raising awareness on polluted waters.

On his next journey, an escort boat will accompany Strel for emergencies and breaks, while he swims between 5 to 12 hours every day. The Arizona-based TDG global marketing and branding firm will provide the travel costs for the journey.

In the past week, the marathon swimmer from Phoenix, Arizona, performed a 2.2-mile swim between the Statue of Liberty and the marina near the World Trade Centre for his regular morning workout, the Guardian reported. Strel said that at his age of 60, he is still in good health to educate young people about their drinking water, especially about the polluted water sources.

“I’m still ready for swimming… This is the Indian Ocean, the Pacific Ocean. We bring this water,” he said. “Clean water is very important today.”

Strel however, faces some difficulties in each journey. He always has a knife strapped to his leg while swimming to protect himself from crocodiles, snakes, the candiru, a tiny South American fish that bores into every human cavity, and bull sharks.

But Strel said that he’s not that worried with the fish and the sharks that live in the rivers. “I’ve found good relationships with animals,” he added.

Before his journey in March, Strel calls for other swimmers to join him take the route around the world. To date, Strel has already gained support from politicians and fans from around the globe to discuss clean water.

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