On the 3rd May 1810, Lord Byron swam across the Hellespont in Turkey, the stretch of water that divides Europe from Asia. Exactly 200 years to the day SwimTrek organised a crossing to recreate this heroic swim. This crossing was the culmination of the Byron Swim Festival, a 3 day event held in Canakkale, Turkey where Byron enthusiasts, keen swimmers, academics and the current Lord Byron came together to celebrate what is widely seen as the dawn of open water swimming as a sport.
You can read full reports of the swim in the Financial Times, Daily Mail and the Guardian.
