By Shannon McFarlin WENK/WTPR News Director
Buchanan, Tenn.—A professor from Germany who is swimming the entire length of the Tennessee River from Knoxville to Paducah stopped overnight at Paris Landing State Park Friday evening, welcomed by Park Rangers bearing a gift basket and Tennessee Department of Economic Development staff members bearing greetings.
Andreas Fath averages 20 miles per day on his journey, which has a two-fold purpose: to break the world record and to test water quality along the river. Fath is a chemist and professor at the University of Furtwangen and already broke one world record in 2014 for swimming the length of the Rhine River.
In a chat after he arrived at Paris Landing, Fath said he is never tired after a day of swimming—even swimming 20 miles a day. “I am always happy when I finish because I feel I have accomplished something,” he said.
He took on the challenge of swimming the Tennessee River because it is the same length and a comparable river to the Rhine and because it combines his two passions: long-distance swimming and research.
Fath is swimming for Tenneswim and Project Director Martin Knoll of Sewanee University said the water samples being taken along the way “show us that the Tennessee River is pretty clean. So far, our data is good. We’re pretty impressed. It’s a healthy river. We’ll send our samples to labs later, but our preliminary data is looking good.”
While Fath is swimming, an entourage of graduate students and his family travel beside him in a boat with a kayaker in front to steer Fath in the right direction.
Fath said he enjoys Tennessee and is impressed with the scenery, but especially impressed with the people. “We have people talking to us from their boats and waving to us from their houses. They invite us to stay with them and eat with them. We’ve met some very nice people. We’ve made a lot of friends.”
Fath said he likes Tennessee so much he plans to come back on his next sabbatical from the university. “I plan to come back here and present my results,” he said.
Fath has only 57 miles to go before his final destination in Paducah and is set to arrive there Tuesday. “That will be very exciting,” he said.
Top photo: Fath is greeted with a gift basket by Charlton Story, seasonal interpreter and Josh Walsh, assistant park manager. Bottom, Fath with Paris Landing and TDEC employees (McFarlin photos)
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