Psychologist and “swimming coach” Knut Ivan Rasmussen (44) has plunged into his longest stage so far: He is swimming Oslo-Bergen this summer.
Published:
Less than 20 minutes ago
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Rasmussen jumped into the sea on July 1 this year, and has already covered almost 200 kilometers. With a goal of reaching Bergen in early August, he tries to swim a little over 15 kilometers a day.
– We take stage by stage. It hasbeen an adventure, says Rasmussen to VG. The distance is around 700 kilometers. He has swum between 13-23 kilometers a day, but the day stages depend on both form and conditions. This means about six hours in the water, daily. When Rasmussen is not in the water, he spends time on a boat that follows him.
– I have with me a good team of friends in the boat.
– «Mayday-Mayday» -stemning
When VG spoke to the 44-year-old on Thursday, he had crawled past Risør, but the journey has not only gone downstream. Just as he was going into the water outside Sandefjord, the propeller on the boat got stuck.
– There were quite a lot of waves, so there was a bit of a mayday-mayday atmosphere. We had to be rescued by the rescue service and towed ashore.
Beyond that, the swim has gone according to plan. Rasmussen says he has gotten in better shape since he started, and that swimming is getting easier and easier. A known nuisance has nevertheless been reported:
– The worst are the stingrays. I burn myself all the time, he says.