51-year-old Frenchman trying to swim to cross the Pacific ocean
Frenchman Benoit Lecomte, aiming to become the first man to swim the Pacific ocean, began his swim from the shores of Japan.
51-year-old Lecomte plans to swim eight hours a day and after about six months, breaking the nine thousand kilometers to reach US shores.
Dangers Leconte a lot: it’s a shark, storm, bad weather and extremely low water temperature.
A swimmer wants the swim to draw people’s attention to the problem of global warming. A group of scientists that follows the Leconte, will conduct research on the state of the ocean along the way.
Scientists will study the condition and the amount of plastic waste in the ocean and take water samples to assess the impact on the ocean of the accident at the Fukushima nuclear power plant.
Also, they will conduct monitoring of the state of Leconte and to study the effect of extreme exercise on the heart of the athlete.
Ben Lecompte lives in the United States. Preparing for the swim, he swam for many hours in the day in the open sea and perform various exercises that help improve psychological stability.
The mental aspect is far more important than physical condition. You need all the time to think about something good. When the mind is not otherwise engaged, start to wind itself, and that’s a problem.Ben Lecompte
Preparing for the journey across the Pacific took Leconte for more than six years, but the idea of such a race appeared earlier.
Twenty years ago, in 1998, he sailed across the Atlantic ocean. Then Leconte overcame 6400 km in 73 days, and was the first man who crossed the Atlantic by swimming.
When he finally reached the shore of France, the first thing he said, “never again!”. But soon after this swim he pondered the options for a new exciting race.
“It took me a little time to reconsider. After three or four months, I was already thinking about my next adventure,” admitted Leconte in an interview with the American NPR (National Public Radio).
The daily routine of Leconte during the whole swim should theoretically remain the same. The Lecomte will swim for eight hours a day, then jump on the accompanying boat to eat and sleep.
To withstand such extreme physical exertion, diet of his food is made in such a way that the swimmer has received at least 8000 calories.