Big River Man

---

When I see a swimmer,

I paint a drowned man.

Jacques Prevert

Is that OK?

I am going to do,

no man has ever done,

swim at the Amazon.

I'm Martin Strel.

I'm going to do...

FEBRUARY 2, 2006

...what...

what no one has never do.

...what no one has ever done.

...what no man has never do.

...what no one has ever done.

swim at the Amazon.

I'm Martin Strel.

I'm going to do, what...

no man has never...

It's Ok.

It's Ok.

...no man has ever done.

I'm Martin Strel.

I'm going to do,

what no man has never do,

swim at the Amazon.

This is Martin Strel,

the most famous endurance

swimmer in the world.

He's the only person

to swim the Mississippi

and the Yangtze rivers.

Now in 2007,

he will be attempt to

be the first person,

to swim at the Amazon.

My father is not an average

world famous athlete.

First of all,

he's little bit over weight,

maybe even

very over weight.

Second, he's a big drinker.

Even while he's swimming,

he drinks two bottles

of wine a day.

Thirdly,

he's accomplished most of his

fits over the age of 45.

When he swims at the Amazon,

he'll be 53 years old.

How long does he

swim without stopping?

That's a good question.

How long does you

swim without stopping?

Average. Every day.

Average, every day?

-50, 60 miles.

Without stopping?

-Yeah, non-stop.

What he say?

-Without stopping per a day.

Yeah, per a day.

-Yes.

What's your name?

I'm worried for my

father's safety

but more I worried for

my father's health.

When he's swimming

in the Yangtze,

the world's most

polluted river,

he became so ill

I didn't know

if he would survive.

I wanted to make him stop

but I couldn't.

Swimming in the world's

most polluted rivers

is the family business.

BORUT STREL:

My name is Borut Strel,

I am Martin Strel's son

but I am also his

main assistant.

My main job is

helping my father at his

swimming adventures.

I am the head of logistic.

I coordinate

the whole team.

YANGTZE SWIM 2004

I help incurred him

all the time and we trust

each other the most.

He swims through

this dirty waters

hoping to race the illness

and the disappearance of clean

waters around the world.

But the Amazon is

a special problem.

In the river

has crocodiles,

deadly fish and snakes,

parasites and insects,

many of which is be

hard to avoid.

The deadly can the Candirue fish

can swim up your penis

and if it does

no more penis.

Martin understands

this dangerous

but he consider this dangerous to

the Amazon more serious.

If the global attention is

not pay immediately

to the rapid destruction

of the rain forest

then will all be in

very serious trouble.

Martin hopes that his swim

will inspire people

to wake up and care

about saving this lands.

I don't know how I

feel about this swim.

When he was finishing

the Yangtze swim 2004

he was saying, I am not gonna

do anything more swims.

It's too hard,

too hot,

too much infections,

too much troubles

but then after a

couple of months

when he recovered,

he just came up with

another idea over night,

I am going to the Amazon.

SLOVENIA,

February 2006

TRAINING FOR:

AMAZON BEGINS:

My father Martin

is very famous in Slovenia

but even when he's

going abroad

he's very famous too.

Some people say that he's

like an Slovenian ambassador.

Slovenia's shape

is like a chicken.

Slovenia's shape

is like a chicken.

Head...you can see.

Some people say

it's no big deal

to swim downstream with

current. I say to them

trying by selfs.

When Martin swims 60 miles

per a day downstream

means the same as swimming

on a still water.

Try doing that every

day for 75 days

when you are

and you weight

over 200 pounds.

Amazon swim publicity

campaign Hollywood, California

Where you swimming to?

Acapulco?

It's actually

kind of funny.

He's actually gonna swim

entire Amazon river.

I don't think he's

gonna make it

with all that piranha.

Mokronog, Slovenia

Martin's home town

Martin got a free car

from his sponsor

for the rest of his life.

Mazda was

car of the year...

...in 2004. Mazda was

car of the year.

Many Slovenians are

drunk and drivers.

We are at the top in

Europe by statistics

and my father

Martin is one of them.

But he does

when he drives

he eat a lot, drink a lot

and we are at the

phone all the time.

But he is very

good in driving.

He's very good driver

and he can make it

even if he's drunk.

He has a really good

connections with policeman.

They stop him, hey Martin,

you're drunk.

You are over dozed.

Ok, just come

safe to the home.

We will not give

you a ticket.

You are very

famous people.

Be safe.

Goodbye.

Martin parks this Mazda 626

where ever he wants

and nobody could

stop him.

If I park by myself

I get a ticket right away.

What you want to order?

Horse burger.

-Horse burger, yes.

Many Slovenians

eat horse burgers.

Horse burger is one of the most

popular food in our country.

Me and Martin

love them too.

The horse burger is

like a chicken burger.

The only different is

that is made from horse meat.

Horse burger, yeah.

Horse burger.

He will make it all the

way through on Amazon? -No.

VENICE BEACH, CALIFORNIA

But how far?

I don't know. About is far

he made it on Mississippi river.

You mean all

the way? -No.

You not believe it?

-Nobody's ever done that.

Number seven

on the countdown.

First is swim.

The mighty Mississippi river

it measures over

In 2002 endurance swimmer

Martin Strel took it on.

He swam the entire length

from the Minnesota

to the gulf of Mexico.

A long the way,

Strel battle strong currents

deadly whirlpools

and wishes storms.

starting his record swim

Strel reach the

gulf of Mexico.

Besides be an swimmer

my father has a day job

is a flamenco guitar teacher.

Before that he was a

professional gambler

but that was

before I was born.

KONGO CASINO,

LJUBLJANA, SLOVENIA

Martin likes to say something

over and over again.

One of this is

if you work you got money

if you not work no money.

I have been professional

gambler, yes

but for that you must

stay here over the night.

I put here 1000 dollars.

If it will be black

It's very simple.

Before I was a swimmer

I was a gambler.

Now I gamble with my life.

Martin was bitten

very badly as a child.

He says that's way

he is able to endure

such an extreme pain.

He promised him self

he would never treat

me at same.

Instead he battle

demons at the rivers.

DANUBE 2000,

MISSISSIPPI 2002,

YANGTZE 2004,

To swim the Amazon

is almost 1000 miles

further then the Yangtze.

It will be the longest,

most dangerous

swimming in history.

My father always told me

that someday he's

going to be somebody.

But he never knew

what to call him self

that people would

remember his name.

I told him

you are Martin Strel.

You are the big river man.

Self pictures presents

in association with

EARTHWORKS FILMS

MARTIN STREL:

in

BIG RIVER MAN:

SLOVENIA:

Lipizzaner horse demonstration

in honor of Martin

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