The Grisons water ambassador and ultra-swimmer Ernst Bromeis has completed his “Expedition Milano 2015”. In three days, he traveled 122 kilometers from Tenero (TI) through Lake Maggiore, the Ticino River and the canals northeast of Milan to Gaggiano, 12 kilometers from the city center. With this campaign, he supported the “solidarit'eau suisse” initiative, which provides money and know-how for drinking water projects in developing countries.
Ernst Bromeis' “Expedition Milano 2015” demanded everything from the experienced ultraswimmer for three days and nights: countercurrents and headwinds made swimming across the 60-kilometer long Lake Maggiore with four sea crossings by day and one by night.
Arriving at the southern tip of Lake Langensee, he set off on two more river stages in Ticino on Friday night, which he completed around 3:00 a.m. After two hours of rest, Bromeis set off on a 14-kilometer stage just before sunrise on Saturday, which he had to complete on foot due to lack of water in the third section of the Ticino river.
After that, he made very good progress in the canals. However, the heat on the level was bothering the athlete more and more, so that he had to take additional breaks. He was also plagued by stomach problems. 60 hours after the start in Tessin, Ernst had to seek medical treatment on Saturday evening due to exhaustion; he had reached his physical and psychological limits.
“Ernst was in a general state of exhaustion caused by prolonged physical exertion and a buildup of heat in a wetsuit and warm water,” explains sports doctor Walter Kistler, who looked after the athlete on site. “In addition to physical exhaustion, there was also mental exhaustion. A longer break was therefore appropriate.”
borderline experience
Having rested again, he talked to his family and his expedition team on Sunday morning and then declared the Milano Expedition 2015 to be over. He had swum over 100 kilometers in two and a half days and walked around 20 kilometers.
“The Milan Expedition 2015 was a borderline experience for me. I had never before strung together so many stages without longer breaks and had swam night stages in the lake and in the river. This also required a great deal from my companions. I am happy and proud of what I have achieved,” Bromeis summed up in Milan on Sunday.
“The waterway from Lake Maggiore to Milan was an important trade connection between Tessin and Lombardy for centuries. It still symbolizes the connection between two countries and the diverse uses and eminent importance of water for all people.”
“In order to draw attention to the global water problem, I sometimes push my performance limits and the athlete in me would have loved to swim the last few kilometers into the city center. As an ambassador and family man, I also set an example and must recognize that there are sometimes limits that I cannot push even with an iron will.”
Bromeis completed the “Rhine 2014” expedition a year ago. He is the first person to swim across the Rhine from source to mouth. In 2010, he crossed the largest lakes of all Swiss cantons, and in 2008 he swam through 200 lakes in his home canton of Grisons.
A billion people have no drinking water
He consistently uses the attention that the ultra-swimmer receives with his swimming expeditions for his role as a water ambassador. Since 2007, Bromeis has been working to sensitize the Swiss population to the problem that too many people worldwide still have no access to drinking water or sanitation facilities.
Since 2012, Bromeis has been a goodwill ambassador for the “solidarit'eau suisse” initiative, which is also significantly supported by the Federal Directorate for Development and Cooperation (SDC). Swiss cities and municipalities can support drinking water projects in developing countries through “solidarit'eau suisse”. Bromeis dedicated his 2015 Milano expedition entirely to the “Solidarit'eau suisse” initiative.