Anita Horn, emotional after completing a swim
CHALLENGE,  Event reviews

UltraSwim 33.3 #5 Montenegro – Review

German journalist and swimmer Anita Horn took on the epic challenge in difficult conditions

I nearly abandoned UltraSwim 33.3 in Montenegro before I even got there. I had been anxiously checking the weather forecasts and could see storms rolling in. But then I didn’t want to sit at home and see pictures of swimming heroes. So I went. And the storm came too, just as predicted.

The plan, as with all UltraSwim 33.3 events, was to swim 33.3km over 4 days. This has been achieved at every event so far but could the organisers deliver again with the conditions we were facing?

No swimming was possible on the first morning. We had to wait and listen to the wind and waves. Eventually, we got the call to go and nervously boarded the small transport boats to the start on the opposite side of the bay, which offered some shelter. It was a relief to start swimming. We passed two shipwrecks and a small lighthouse through deep, clear water with a temperature of around 21 degrees. A strong current carried us and we finished the first 5.1km surprisingly quickly on a beautiful, small beach in a quiet bay with wonderfully turquoise water. The sun came out and everyone was happy. Now I was in swimming mode and wanted more.

The Adriatic fights back

The next day, Saturday, we had two swims of 4.1 and 6.1km. The first swim took us into the open sea for the first time around a small island with a monastery. Conditions were rough and we had a counter-current to contend with. Then, on our break, it started to rain heavily. But we were going to get wet anyway. So back into the water we went.

It quickly became dark and very rough. Waves crashed into the cliffs, bounced back and pulled me from the left to the right. Someone was seasick. The current was strong and against me. The field spread out. No other swimmers to be seen. I felt a bit alone but there was a safety kayaker and I asked if he could stay with me for a while. “Don’t worry,” he said. A good feeling.

Swimmers swimming alongside a cliff in rough water

I struggled on and prevailed. Day 2 done and 15.3km in total. I was exhausted and we hadn’t yet covered half the distance. I wanted to eat and rest.

But eating was difficult. My stomach didn’t really want to refuel after the exertion. And sleeping wasn’t so easy either because I was far too excited about the planned 10km marathon swim the next day, and what the weather might do.

The big 10k

The alarm went off at 4:55. Breakfast was at 5:30. We were on the boat by 6:30 and I was a nervous wreck. I called my coach and he pushed me. “Just swim”, he said. You can do it.

We went out by boat, the storm clouds were still visible but went the other way and we jumped into the Adriatic. The sea was rough and unimpressed by nearly 200 swimmers from all over the world. Challenge accepted.

Between the first and the second feeding station on the boat, I learned what open water swimming means. The sea pushed, pulled, shoved and catapulted us, up and down, left to right. The waves were high, the current was enormous and we could hardly move from one spot for ages. There was no speed. It was a case of laborious forward movement with a lot of muscle power and extreme mental effort. I was close to despair. But somehow we made progress.

Don’t fight the sea

Every metre was an achievement. As soon as I stopped for a moment to rest and look around if I could see another swimmer, the current immediately pushed me back again. So I kept working. At some point I saw two other swimmers – one tried to go further away from the cliffs, one stayed closer to land. I was somewhere in between. A kayaker encouraged me: “Go on, you can do it!” I didn’t have much other choice anyway. This was hard, but epic.

At least I reached the second refreshment station. A moment of calm. It was in a bay, protected from the wild open sea. I clung to the boat ladder and did the maths: my watch showed 7.7km. But the station should have been at 6.6. Almost three hours on the clock. Cut-off after 5 hours. Under these conditions and with the fatigue, I would probably not manage another 3.4km in two hours. I wanted to stop. My battery was almost empty. My goggles full of tears.

Then someone from the crew called me over and said: “Let’s talk”. It was Andy Donaldson, the world record holder of the Oceans Seven, and UltraSwim 33.3 ambassador. He said: “You can’t change the conditions out there, but you can change how you deal with them.”

I nodded, but I didn’t start swimming again until another swimmer agreed to accompany me for a bit. “Go your pace. I’ll stay with you.” A swimming angel – thank you both!

We went back and faced the sea. Somehow, I was now prepared for anything. I said to myself: “The sea doesn’t want anything from you. Don’t fight it, use your strength. Just keep swimming – the finish line will be there soon.”

And it was! After 50 minutes of hard work, a kayaker told me I was nearly there. I couldn’t believe it! My 7.7km on the clock was right after all! I turned on the turbo again when I saw the pink finish arch. I had really done it! After four hours and unbelievable mental images, I swam through the finish crying and smiling at the same time. I had just achieved something that I had neither expected nor thought possible. Marathon swimming in the sea. In the end, it was 10.6km. Wow!

More to do

But the swimming wasn’t over for the day. Towards the afternoon the sky cleared. The boats took us to Mamula Island for lunch and our next swim: three 800m laps around the island, so 2.4km to go. The sun came out. The sea was still rough. But it was beautiful and I felt strong, happy and proud. I am really doing the English Channel distance – step by step.

Swimming around Mamula Island

That evening, I sat by the hotel pool and contemplated what I’d achieved. 28.3km done. I was tired and excited at the same time. Inside, I felt better than ever before. I’d exceeded my expectations that day and learned a lot. About myself. And the sea. But a few training sessions in the sea beforehand would certainly not have been a bad idea!

The final day

The last day was going to be tough, too. This time we weren’t expecting extreme weather. But we were going to have to cross a channel. Our route took us from the coast of Croatia through the straits back to Montenegro and then a bit along the coast, a total of 4.8km. We sailed across in boats and jumped into the sea at sunrise.

This time the current wanted to sweep us out of the bay into the open sea. I kept swimming left while the ocean pulled me right. Now I knew how to handle that and felt strong. I enjoyed the swimming, even though it was hard.

Then finally, around the buoy, into the protective bay and salvation, the current carried us along again like on day one. What a pleasure! Sunshine. Crystal clear water. Calm, long strokes over schools of fish and red starfish. Once into the submarine tunnel – with an audience on the shore. Brilliant! Then on, the last bend into our destination bay. A concentrated load of happiness ran through me.

Hugs. Cheers. Tears. Jumps for joy. Cheering on all the other finishers after me. Something to eat and drink. And then one last time on the boat, over to the last start and 200 meters with the whole team. What an incredible feeling! The last strokes of 33.3km. 13.5 hours of swimming, with all the adversities and doubts you can have. My thoughts went to my family, who I would have loved to have been there. And then there was a medal, champagne and unstoppable tears. I did it!

I wasn’t the only one sobbing. On the boat, we hugged each other in relief and disbelief and asked ourselves if all that had really happened. It was like a film. A crazy thriller that ended well. At no point did I feel alone or unsafe (thanks again to the kayakers and the whole team around Mark Turner and our race director and everybody out there for their constant observation), but I was alone with my thoughts and at times they were very loud and uncomfortable. Even more epic I finished the 33.3 which will be part of the rest of my life and symbolized by a new tattoo on my right arm soon.

(You can follow Anita’s swimming adventures via Instagram @ahornzeit.)

Anita Horn, taking a selfie after completing UltraSwim 33.3

All images (c) Lloyd Images / UltraSwim 33.3

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