Martin Hobbs, a South African swimmer, cemented a world record by swimming 361 miles a complete Lake Malawi in Africa. Hobbs set the record on Wednesday, 24th April for a longest solo swim in a lake.
Hobbs, 45, swam for 54 days in a row in crossing the lake Malawi entirely which also makes him the person to swim across the entire lake.
The South African athlete started his career as a competitive off-road biker and marathoner, however, swimming was the only sports he could do after he fractured a disk in his back during a bike stunt.
CAPTION: Kristina Klebe’s Career SOURCE: Swimming also helped him come back from his devastating injury and also inspired him to embark on a new adventure. Hobbs told CNN,
I've always wanted to do an African adventure and never got around to it. I didn't want to be buried one day and be known as the guy who worked very hard and that's it. It's nice to leave a legacy behind.
As per the sources, Hobbs had already broken the Guinness World Record last week, however, he kept on swimming to reach the end of the lake. Lake Malawi that spans the entire coast of the eastern African nation is known to be the home to deadly crocodiles and hippos. Hobbs told,
It was the longest straight line of water that I could find. But I'm not going to lie, I'm terrified of the crocodiles.
He faced several bad weather conditions during the process including one tornado that brought waves as high as the ceiling. Hobbs said,
Even the boat was taking the strain and the team was getting worried. It knocked me mentally as well. But I just had to pick myself up again.
After setting two world records, Hobbs now plans to give a series of motivational speeches and write a book in order to raise more money for Smile. The Solo Swimmer team has raised $10,000 and Hobbs hopes to raise up to $35,000.
