When the sun set at the end of the day, Martin refused to stop until he’d hit his 65th kilometer, and then had to be helped onto the boat by two members of his support team.
He’s surviving purely on adrenaline at this point, and although the team has been pleading with him to conserve his energy, he’s pushing forward toward the ocean at an insane rate. At this point, he’s not only concerned with swimming the Amazon, but has become fixated at how many days it takes him. He barely touched his food or said a word at dinner, then quickly retired to his room. Every muscle in his body is cramping at night, especially his legs, probably from chronic dehydration, and he’s only been sleeping two to three hours per night.
I’ve been with Martin for three expeditions, and I’ve seen him tired, but probably never this exhausted.
Martin expects to reach Breves tomorrow, after which he’ll leave the Straights of Breves and reenter the main river, which will be as many as 20 km wide with huge waves and Oceanic tidal influences. He’s still projected to reach Belem on Saturday, April 7th.
