Four athletes from Vladivostok and one from Irkutsk swam across Lake Baikal from the village of Vydrino to the village of Listvyanka. The swimmers were in the water for 15 hours, Interfax reports.
The athletes covered 55 kilometers without stopping. They weren’t wearing wetsuits. The swimmers were in the water for half an hour, replacing each other. For two hours they had to swim in icy water, as its temperature dropped from 15 to 5 degrees.
The swim was carried out to monitor the ecological state of the Baikal water and coastal zones. About 10 water samples were taken, and an aerial survey was carried out using quadcopters. Based on the results of the swim, a report will be generated, which will be sent to the State Duma and Russian President Vladimir Putin.