By Shannon McFarlin WENK/WTPR News Director
Paducah, Tenn.—It’s a new world record.
Andreas Fath, the German professor we told you about over the weekend, set a new world record by swimming the entire 652-mile Tennessee River in just 34 days. Fath took only a single day off during his travels.
Fath stopped at Paris Landing State Park Friday night with his crew from Tenneswim, which has been sponsoring his quest.
Fath arrived in downtown Paducah at 12:04 p.m. Tuesday.
Fath is a chemist and long-distance swimmer and said Friday that he wanted to combine his two passions by swimming the Tennessee River and taking water samples along the way. Fath earlier had broken the world record in 2014 by swimming the length of the Rhine River.
His crew also took a water sample today, as they have along the course of the route. “Our samples will undergo extensive analyses in the coming weeks, and eventually, we will use the results to produce a comprehensive “report card” about the overall health of the Tennessee River, North America’s most biodiverse watershed,” his crew said.
Tenneswim officials thanked all its sponsors and donors for making the project possible. “Thank you for helping us to protect the Tennessee River!” they said.
Tenneswim photo.
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