Update: Dave was interviewed by Don Marsh on St. Louis on the Air on Monday. You can listen to that conversation by clicking here.
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This morning The Gateway Arch was the last stop on British swimmer Dave Cornthwaite’s 1000-mile journey down the Missouri River, completing the last few miles on the Mississippi River.
Cornthwaite said he didn’t know how to swim when he got started two months ago, but he never felt like giving up. To stay safe, Cornthwaite was accompanied by six paddlers as he swam from South Dakota to St. Louis.
“On days like today when we had nice little crowd out at the St. Louis Arch and my team who weren’t paddlers and gave up their jobs for two months to come out and join me to paddle 1,000 miles on the Missouri,” Cornthwaite said. “That’s absolutely marvelous, and I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for them, and a huge thanks to them.”
Cornthwaite’s swim is part of his Expedition1000 project, in which he plans to take part in 25, 1,000-mile journeys around the world.
“Every single one of my journeys I throw myself straight into it,” Cornthwaite said. “I don’t want to give the impression that this is an elite thing and that we need to train five months, we need to have a huge amount of money. I find myself happier and happier as my life becomes ever so simple.”
Cornthwaite and his team committed to the swim to raise money for “Coppa Feel”, a non-profit that raises awareness about breast cancer. As of Saturday afternoon, the swim generated more than $10,000 in donations.
