Swimmer to make second attempt at crossing Lagarfljót

Open-water swimmer Sigurgeir Svanbergsson will make a second attempt to swim the length of Lagarfljót river at midnight on Sunday, mbl.is reports. The swim covers more than 40 kilometres and could become the longest continuous swim in Icelandic history.

Sigurgeir’s first attempt took place on June 15. He swam about 10 kilometres before stopping because of hypothermia.

Conditions are now considerably better. The river’s temperature was just under 3 degrees Celsius in June, but measurements now put it at about 8 degrees following the summer.

“We have been swimming in the river and preparing intensively, and Sigurgeir is in very good spirits,” Árni Bergsson, Sigurgeir’s friend and chief supporter, told mbl.is.

Through the swim, Sigurgeir wants to raise awareness of mental health, suicide prevention and the importance of knowing that help is available when people are struggling. He is carrying out the project in cooperation with the Píeta organisation.

“The last time he tried this, he gave up and asked for help. Several factors came together at that moment, and he ended up asking for assistance. That is why we are connecting the swim more closely with Píeta now, by saying that it is okay to ask for help,” Árni said.

Árni hopes the swim will take about 16 hours, and said they would try as far as possible to follow the same rules as those used for the English Channel.

During the swim, Sigurgeir will be given bananas, peanut butter and Nutella, as well as Unbroken tablets, carbohydrate drinks, gummy sweets and Coca-Cola.

Árni said it was invaluable to hear that the number of interviews conducted by Píeta had increased in the run-up to the swim.

“It gives us so much to know that the number of interviews has increased and that people have started talking. That is number one, two and three,” he said.