“Remember when they said they couldn’t land a man on the moon? Remember when they said no man could run a sub-4 minute mile? Remember when they said no man could climb Mt Everest? Remember when they said no am could swim the English Channel?
And again… Until 3rd September …
Remember when they said no one, could swim solo from Cuba to Florida… It was humanly impossible due to the surmountable obstacles?
And again… The Indominable human spirit has prevailed defying the odds, achieving the impossible with an Xtreme Dream, self belief and a team of supporters!!!!!
As published on Open Water Swimming’s Daily News,
We were the first to admit that we thought a solo swim, an Xtreme Dream by Diana Nyad from Cuba to Florida was impossible.
No way, no how. It could not be done. There were just way too many obstacles for her to overcome.
A list of reasons why the swim could not be done was effectively answered by a woman after more than 52 hours in the water and 35 years of disappointment.
First and foremost were the box jellyfish.
The venom made by these creatures of pain was off-the-charts and led to 3 previous failures by Nyad. But Nyad found a solution. She literally engineered the solution onto her face and down her throat. She knew first hand how debilitating the box jellyfish stings were, so she covered her body from head to toe. Not one centimeter of her body was exposed. This was the only way for her to withstand the onslaught of the box jellyfish.
But even when she sealed herself with protection, her suit of armor led to additional problems. It not only made her swimming slower, but it was also unbelievably claustrophobic. How in the world could she swim with a mouthpiece for half the night? She would choke. But Nyad trained and trained and trained with her mouthpiece and stinger suit and learned to deal with the weight and uncomfortableness of her manufactured cocoon of protection.
Jellyfish stings were the reason Nyad was forced to abandon her attempt at the crossing earlier this year, as her face had become swollen and the pain was unbearable for her.
Fifthly, 103 non-stop miles is a huge distance no matter what kind of shape and iron-will mindset Nyad has. But combined with her 64 years on the planet, was it possible for a 64-year-old to swim 103 miles in the tropical heat of the day and the falling temperatures at night swimming without sleep over 2 nights and 3 days?
Read the entire article to learn the 7 reasons why it was not expected that Nyad succeed in her quest to swim from Cuba to Florida.
However, regardless of those who did not think she would achieve her dream, Diana Nyad did just that! She made the impossible, possible.
The following video explains just some of the challenges faced by Nyad during her quest to complete her xtream dream.
A huge congratulations to you Diana Nyad … and may your quest both motivate and inspire many others who have a dream!
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