AOMORI, Japan - An American endurance athlete successfully completed a 40-kilometer swim Tuesday between Japan's two largest islands of Honshu and Hokkaido, achieving the feat of crossing seven difficult open water channels in the world, a support group said.
After swimming across the Tsugaru Strait, which separates Japan's main island from Hokkaido in the country's far north, in 11 hours, 43 minutes and 35 seconds, Rob Lea, 45, became the world's first person to complete the "Double Seven" challenge -- seven channels and summits across seven continents, according to the group.
The target channels for the "Oceans Seven" also include the Strait of Gibraltar, connecting the Mediterranean Sea with the Atlantic Ocean, while the peaks for the "Seven Summits" include Mt. Everest, the world's highest.
Lea left Nakadomari in Aomori Prefecture, at the northern end of Japan's main island of Honshu, Tuesday morning and arrived on the coast of Fukushima in Hokkaido about half a day later.
The waterway is known for its strong currents, making it one of the world's most difficult channels to swim, according to Yuka Ito of the Tsugaru Strait Swimming Federation.
