Sports
Samir Barel: Secrets of Ultramarathon Swimming
The first Brazilian to achieve the Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming details fear, cold, and nutrition in extreme endurance events.
Samir Barel reflects on his journey from pool competition to the world's most grueling marathon swims. The open water swimmer discusses conquering the Triple Crown, braving frigid temperatures and ocean darkness, and how mental resilience shaped his career as an athlete and coach.
Open water swimming places humans in an environment where the ground ceases to exist, breathing demands pinpoint rhythm, and the mind must constantly manage uncertainty. For Samir Barel, one of Brazil's foremost marathon swimmers and the country's first man to achieve the Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming, this vast expanse became a profession, a lifestyle, and a daily laboratory for overcoming limits.
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From pool lanes to the open sea
Samir's connection with water began early, encouraged by his parents to ensure safety during family trips to the beach. Although he lacked natural technical aptitude at first, the swimmer found in coach Marcelo Floriano the essential guidance needed to build discipline, technique, and a passion for the sport. Growing up in Campinas, he accumulated state and national titles and records in pool swimming before stepping away from federated competition at age 17 to pursue a degree in Physical Education.
His definitive transition to the ocean happened years later, almost by chance, during a 1,500-meter race in Guarujá. With no prior experience with race gear, sighting buoys, or open water race dynamics, Samir finished among the leaders and fell in love with the sport's welcoming culture, a stark contrast to the rigid confines of pool starting blocks.
The turning point at the 14 Bis crossing
The leap into ultra-distances materialized in 2008 with the 24-kilometer challenge of the Travessia 14 Bis. Following a grueling test in a 10 km race in Salvador—where he endured physical exhaustion and the aggressive intensity of pack swimming—Samir completely overhauled his approach. He abandoned his fixation on pool splits and pace averages to focus on finding a sustainable, efficient rhythm.
Armed with a precise navigation strategy through the channel and minimal nutritional intake over nearly six hours of swimming, Samir won the 2008 edition of the 14 Bis. The victory opened the door to even longer distances and firmly established him on the marathon swimming circuit.
Currents, rivers, and the test of extreme cold
Throughout his international career, Samir confronted extreme geographic challenges. In Argentina's classic Hernandarias-Paraná, he conquered the 88-kilometer course down the Paraná River in under ten hours, propelled by swift downriver currents. In Canadian events such as the 32-kilometer Traversée du Lac Saint-Jean, the primary obstacle was the water temperature, which hovered around 55°F (13°C) at the start without the protection of wetsuits.
To endure hours in icy waters, Samir emphasizes that physical acclimatization and mental discipline are paramount. Wasting energy trying to generate heat through sheer muscle effort rapidly accelerates exhaustion, making psychological composure and reading environmental conditions vital to preventing hypothermia.
The Triple Crown and confronting fear
By crossing the 20 Bridges around Manhattan Island (45 km), the English Channel (approximately 34 km straight-line), and the Catalina Channel (roughly 32 km), Samir completed the prestigious Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming. Each crossing presented a distinct test: in the English Channel, frigid temperatures and strong lateral drift pushed his total distance to 46 km; in Catalina, a midnight start in the Pacific Ocean forced him to confront the pitch-black abyss and marine wildlife head-on.
During the Catalina crossing, swimming amid bioluminescent plankton and backed by a crowdfunding campaign, Samir had to keep panic at bay when large marine animals appeared below the surface. For Samir, fear never vanishes with experience; instead, it is managed through safety protocols, meticulous planning, and profound respect for one's limits.
Planning and the intentional pursuit of discomfort
In his transition to coaching and public speaking, these extreme experiences became the foundation of his training methodology. Samir maintains that an ultra-distance swim truly begins only when discomfort sets in and the mind urges the body to stop.
Coaching ultra-marathon swimmers requires extensive expertise in safety protocols, early signs of hypothermia, and continuous motor response assessments during feed stops. Whether tackling international channel crossings or endurance pool challenges for social causes, deep commitment and complete trust in the process remain the core pillars of his philosophy in and out of the water.
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