Born:  16 April 1972
Gender: Man
Country: Italy
Crossing Year: 2019
Time: Out Of Ranking (05 h 43 min 31 sec)
Neoprene swimsuit: YES

I started swimming in open water in 2016 out of curiosity at Lake Endine over a short distance (1500 meters). On that occasion I involved some friends to share that experience. Among them was also my older son Samuel, who he has been practicing competitive swimming for several years.

That experience was unforgettable and a bit daring between crowds and involuntary punches between swimmers in the first minutes of the race.

Living that event even out of the water between music, food and company made me discover the fun and festive side of this sports specialty.

What seemed impossible to me years before, such as seeing people swimming in open waters like Lake Maggiore, had become very feasible and within reach of even an amateur swimmer like me.

From that experience of 2016 everything took its own growth process I would say natural, where I participated in several sporting events, moreover involving my family and my childrens Leonardo and Sebastiano, my wife Tatiana and my brother-in-law were part of this discovery . A family affair! 🙂

In 2017, with Samuele I participated in the circuit of the Prince of the Lakes, achieving the recognition of “Prince”, which is very coveted for us.

Galvanized by the results obtained and hypnotized by the vision of participating in a long distance like that of Lake Orta of 14 kilometers, I have reached yet another milestone that I think can increase anyone’s self-esteem.

When you start to do something more seriously, you need an adequate organization. I let myself be guided by those with more experience, so  I restructured my workouts.

Thanks the support of Alessandro Pilati of the NAL I completed with good results the Oceanman in Lake of Orta and the Gran Fondo del Naviglio in Milan.

The man by nature loves to explore the world around him and his limits.

I have not escaped the charm of such an exciting challenge of a real crossing like that of the Bocche di Bonifacio, so it has become my goal to achieve.

Here I am, a few days after my great challenge, with arms full of energy, a little trembling heart and a spirit full of curiosity to see how it will end.

I want to live this adventure. I will think about the rest of the time, with my daily commitments, the work of interventional radiologist, where I will already bring to my friends the story that I was there!

(Dario Poretti, September 2019)