Open Water Swimming by Spyros Chrysikopoulos
There is an ever-growing trend in sports to leave the gyms, sport-courts & swimming pools and go out into nature. This is of course not limited to outdoor activities.
How many times have you come across a yoga group in the park next to you, or runners running up the mountain having their daily workout in the fresh air among the trees. All this is not limited to the outdoor activities but has leaped into water activities too.
One such activity that is constantly gaining ground is Open Water Swimming. Greece, being a country surrounded by the sea, with blue waters, a huge coastline and very easy access from wherever you are, is entering the world map of swimmers as well as that of international Open Water swimming competitions, placing itself as one of the fastest growing sports tourism destinations. It comes of course as no surprise.
Oceanman Greece, the most important international open water swimming race organized in our country, is part of that. For its second year, Oceanman was hosted in the beautiful Limeni of Eastern Mani gathering almost 800 swimmers, with more than half representing 32 foreign countries, a record number for Greek swimming statistics. The benefits for the wider area of Mani from the organization of such a sports tourism event are many, as the region was at the spotlight of world sports once again.
One of the most important people in Open Water Swimming, Spyros Chrysikopoulos, shortly after his participation in the Oceanman Greece race and before his biggest undertaking, spoke to us about his great love guiding us in open waters.
What can be said about the dolphinlike man, Spyros, whose new goal is to swim 140 km from Rhodes to Kastelorizo in 48 hours, breaking yet another Panhellenic record, this time in open water, after conquering a pool record, covering 88.2 kilometers in 24 hours. At 27 years old, Spyros has spent more hours in the water than out of it.
140 km straight, with very short stops for food and water. What is the secret of your endurance and what motivates you to go one step further?
"I don't think there's a secret other than sticking to the goal and training. I always want to go one step further I'm always tempted to do things that no one has done before or things that very few people in the world have done."
What goes through your mind while you’re in the water?
"When I'm in the water, for the most part, I think about what's happening at that moment, I live in the moment. For a short time here and there, my mind is surrounded by nice thoughts that will help me keep swimming. After the first 30 hours of continuous swimming, you arrive at a point where everything you know ceases to apply, even time and matter change form. You transcend the limits of sport and go onto another level where the stronger your mind is the more you can overcome the pain and keep swimming."
Who is next to you in this venture? Is there support from the state?
"It is a lonely project, yet I am very happy because my family is by my side. Petros Parthenis has taken over the entire organization of the project. We have the support of "Bay trip mykonos" which will provide us with escort boats, "Minetta insurance" and "Symplefsi" and I am optimistic that others will also support my venture. There is no support from the state but there is great interest from the Ministry of Tourism."
What is your next goal? Thinking of breaking the 225km world record?
"I am someone who sets successive goals. Right now, my every waking thought is the Rhodes-Kastelorizo swim, so I don't want to set the next goal yet and I don't want think about anything else. Of course, those who know me understand that at the back of in my mind there is the world record."
Several open water swimming competitions are organized in Greece, some of them international. Do you think there is a possibility for open water swimming to become a point of reference for the country and the development of sports tourism?
"About a decade ago, I saw running flourishing all over Greece with various competitive races. At the time I thought, it was such a shame this isn’t happening for open water races as well. Today open water is the most developing sport in Greece with many nice races, so I believe that there is the possibility for it to become a point of reference in the development of sports tourism and in fact it is already beginning to happen."
How about a personal life?
"I do have a personal life, limited of course. But when I get in the water, I feel so free that I wouldn't trade it for anything."
What is the most beautiful sea you have swum in?
"I have swum in almost all the Greek seas and also in some places abroad. I don't think I can single out which one is the most beautiful. Perhaps the most beautiful is the one where I am swimming in at that very moment."