It was the sorceress Circe (she’s the one that turned Odysseus’s crew into swine) who told The Idiot to swim across the Hellespont, the Turkish strait also known as the Dardanelles that separates Europe from Asia. This was the twelfth and final task that she gave him 4,061 MedTrekking kilometers ago when they met at her lair on Mount Cicero near Saubaudia, Italy.

Completing the 4.5-kilometer swim in the wake of Leander (who swam across the Hellespont, according to the myth, every night to consort with his lover Hero) and Lord Byron (who swam across the Hellespont in 1810 to prove that Leander could do it) wasn’t the most difficult labour that Circe gave The Idiot. That would have been climbing Mount Olympus to meet Zeus, sleeping with Helen of Troy in the Peloponnese or coping with Calypso in her cave on the island of Gozo.

But The Hellespont did require more preparation than these footloose feats.

The view across the Hellespont to Asia.

First of all, it’s only on August 30 that the strait is closed to shipping for ninety minutes for an annual international swim race commemorating the anniversary of the Turkish victory over Greek forces in the War of Independence in 1922.

Ships are a Hellespont hazard for swimmers.

Secondly, The Idiot diligently trained for a few months throughout the world (http://goo.gl/oSBNU) to swim the distance in differing conditions, but was aware that the incessant wind and constant current on the Hellespont could create a challenging crossing in turbulent water. In 2010 almost two-thirds of the 440 entrants didn’t make it due to the strong wind and agitated sea.

In addition, The Idiot had some added psychological pressure at the 25th annual Hellespont race because he was also swimming on behalf of a charitable foundation in the United States and a number of mindful and conscientious people had made donations (http://goo.gl/JKBZC).

Fortunately there were swim clinics in Canakkale, on the Asian side of the Hellespont, for two days before the race and The Idiot got some logistical (“Swim towards Istanbul until you sense the strong current from the Sea of Marmara and then turn towards Greece!”) and technical (“Rock, roll and keep your head down!”) advice while communing with foreign competitors from throughout the world who entered through the UK-based organization SwimTrek (http://bit.ly/plRhaV).

And the conditions on race day were nearly perfect for the 189 foreign and 260 Turkish competitors.

International camaraderie and excellent conditions.

The staggered start on a small patch of gravelly beach in Eceabat, on the European side of the Hellespont, was slightly congested but after the first kilometer The Idiot felt at least as comfortable and confident as Leander and Lord Byron.

There was no wind-created turbulence like this in Eceabat on race day.

When The Idiot was finally assisted by the current moving from the Sea of Marmara towards the Mediterranean, he felt stronger with each stroke as he neared Canakkale and the Asian side of the Hellespont.

Canakkale first appeared far away….

…but became closer…

…and closer and….

…closer with every stroke.

When he reached the finish (http://goo.gl/r4SiF) The Idiot became his own Hero. He finished in just over 54 minutes, won the bronze medal in his age group and picked up a neat new T-shirt.

Picking up a bronze medal.

"Leander, Lord Byron…and ME" reads the T.

With the Hellespont behind him, The Idiot will now march into and beyond Troy where he will conclude, as Circe also suggested, his next book “The Idiot and the Odyssey II: Myth, Madness and Magic on the Mediterranean.”

Text by Joel Stratte-McClure

Photos by Joel Stratte-McClure and Des Baum (2)

NB: In-the-water photos were taken two days before the actual race.

Follow

About Joel

Joel Stratte-McClure has been a global trekker since the 1970s. He lived in France for over 30 years, working as a journalist, before he turned his attention to a unique life-time-project of walking the shores of the Mediterranean. The first 4,401 kilometers are explored in his inspirational and entertaining first book "The Idiot and the Odyssey: Walking the Mediterranean." The next 4,401 kilometers are covered in the gods-filled sequel, "The Idiot and the Odyssey II: Myth, Madness and Magic on the Mediterranean,” published on Valentine's Day 2013. The last 4,401 kilometers will be discussed in the last book of the trilogy currently entitled "The Idiot and the Odyssey III: Alexander the Great Walks the Mediterranean."