This blog post was updated on August 21, 2019.
Attempting world records at age 61, swimmer Diana Nyad is convinced that age is just a number. Now she’s trying to convince everyone else.
She hopes to start doing just that by completing an astounding 103-mile open-water swim from Cuba to Florida without the aid of a shark cage. Diana is currently in the midst of her epic attempt, having entered the waters off of Havana around 7:45 PM Eastern Time Sunday night.
She has been swimming nearly non-stop ever since, taking small snack breaks only to sustain her caloric intake. She is being followed by a small flotilla of handlers, reporters, trainers, and doctors who estimate she will burn tens of thousands of calories during her journey.
Diana and her team had originally hoped to make the attempt last summer but were forced to call it off after they could not gain approval from American and Cuban government officials. Travel restrictions and political tensions between the governments almost killed the plan altogether.
However, Diana’s persistence paid off as both governments finally approved the swim earlier this year. You can track Diana’s progress during her amazing attempt over at CNN.
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