In fact, what motivated the swimmer we are going to talk about going 163 kilometers in 55 hours and - his effort to meet the proposed challenge - is much more remarkable than the way his body looked after spending so many hours in the water. Water. However, before we count, look at the athlete's hands:

See how the athlete's hands got! (Bored Panda)

All for a good cause

The swimmer in question is Dutchman Maarten van der Weijden, a guy well used to overcoming super-complicated challenges. According to Andzelika of Bored Panda, Maarten was quite young when he was noted as a future swimming talent. However, at age 19, the swimmer was diagnosed with leukemia, and the prognosis was quite poor, so much so that doctors said the chances of him surviving the disease were very slim.

Quite a Challenge (Bored Panda)

Contrary to all expectations, Maarten not only won cancer, but also became part of the Netherlands Olympic team and won a gold medal at the Beijing Olympics in 2008. Now, 10 years later, the athlete set out to swim the extension by Elfstedentocht - name of a traditional ice skating rink that takes place every winter in frozen canals and covers a total of 200 kilometers.

Unfortunately, Maarten had to interrupt the challenge (Bored Panda)

Well, Maarten decided to swim this course to raise funds for research focused on finding cures for cancer, and according to Andzelika, the plan was for him to complete the challenge in three days. The idea was that throughout the race, the athlete would make brief stops to rest and nap a little, but after spending 55 hours in the water and winning 163 kilometers, Maarten had to stop. This is because the waters of the canals were considered too polluted for him to continue swimming until the end, not to mention that the athlete began to feel ill.

Look at Maarten's feet, what a pain ... (Bored Panda)

But it was close - or 37 kilometers, to be exact. Nevertheless, Maarten's initiative was over-applauded and, even without having completed the course, the athlete managed to raise more than $ 4 million (just over $ 16.3 million, according to current price), which were fully donated to cancer initiatives.

Even without completing the challenge, Maarten managed to raise a very significant sum (Bored Panda)

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