Over the past two months we’ve been following Dave Cornthwaite on the latest leg of his Expedition 1000 project which he dubbed Swim 1000. That journey began in Chamberlain, South Dakota in early August where Dave plunged into the Missouri River and proceeded to swim down stream. This past Saturday he reached the finish line in the shadow of the famous Gateway Arch of St. Louis
Dave wasn’t alone on his fantastic aquatic adventure and he’ll be the first to tell you it wouldn’t have been possible with out the help of his friends and support crew who followed along in kayaks and on stand-up paddleboards. They made the entire 1000 mile journey as well, which is certainly not to be overlooked in the amazing accomplishment of Dave’s swim. Congratulations o the whole team on a job well done.
When he pulled himself out of the water in St. Louis on Saturday, Dave’s official mileage total stood at 1005. That’s an incredible distance to swim in such a relatively short time span and in order to keep up the pace he was consuming as much as 6000 calories per day. He also had to deal with high winds, the occasional storms and increasingly cooler temperatures.
Of course, the project wasn’t just about taking a long swim in a muddy river. Dave and his team were also raising funds and awareness for Coppafeel, an organization dedicated to improving awareness of the importance of early detection of breast cancer. Definitely an important and worthy cause.
Dave will now take the remainder of the year for a much deserved rest while he plans his next adventures for 2013. He is also booking speaking engagements throughout the U.S. and if you’re interested in having him speak in your area you can find out how to contact him here.
Well done mate! Hope you’ve enjoyed a few pints since finishing up!
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I was there at the finish. Dave took a moment to let the enormity of the accomplishment sink in before actually getting out of the water. The look on his face was a priceless mixture of joy, madness, and disbelief. He and the team were very happy to have made it to the finish. I'm glad I was able to be there if only for the very last of what was a very long journey.
Thanks for the report Patrick. Wish I could have been there to welcome Dave out of the water. We had the chance to meet in person back at Outdoor Retailer just before he started to swim, and he is a great guy. His adventures are certainly fun to follow!