Christian Sartori Crosses Lake Garda in 21 Hours, Honoring Friend
Christian Sartori swam from Riva to Sirmione in 21 hours and a couple of minutes. He departed from Lido dei Sabbioni (in the Trentino area) at 7:10 PM on Tuesday, arriving exhausted and happy at the Catullo peninsula docking area at 4:12 PM yesterday afternoon. An arrival that seemed orchestrated by a film director.
The scene of the arrival and Christian Sartori’s figure
The family of swans (three small, black and as many white) that approached him, while seagulls took flight and the steamship «Trento» (almost a tribute, for a true Trentino), moored at the dock, delayed its departure to Desenzano: the captain repeatedly sounded the siren, almost to highlight the feat accomplished. A joyful scene, on a bright and sunny day.
Many supporters (by conviction) and tourists (by chance) greeted Sartori. Among hugs and applause. Thirty-three years old, married, father of a 10-year-old girl (Ellen), originally from Arco but residing in Riva, long affiliated with the Polizia stradale of Salò, now at the Police Station of his hometown, known in basketball circles (even in our province) for having played up to the C1.
The motivation and meaning of the achievement
Christian is the first Gardesano to attempt this feat. “I did it for her,” he states. For Sylvia Bonometti, a dear friend who died in a road accident last June, riding her scooter, in a tunnel in Val di Ledro.
“I told her: for you, I would be willing to cross the lake. I had never tried a crossing before. It seemed to me the best way to remember her joy of living, respecting her spirit, enthusiasm, and inner drive. And to demonstrate that no goal is out of reach, not even the most unexpected and seemingly unattainable.”
At that moment, a disabled boy appears. He asks for an autograph. Christian modestly declines, then friends persuade him to sign, with a dedicated message. From Riva to Desenzano, in a straight line, it’s 49 kilometers. But the GPS, the navigators of his supporters (who often moved ahead to indicate the straight line, then turned back), connected to satellite networks, registered about ten kilometers more.
Health conditions and support during the crossing
The swimmer’s health conditions were constantly monitored by Rivafounded doctor Girolamo Mirante Marini. “At the start, the water was quite cold,” he recalls. “In Limone during the night, I encountered a very bothersome long wave. Friends on the cabin cruiser, the rubber boat, and the two canoes had stomach problems. They suffered from seasickness in the middle of the lake!”
“Storms? No. Lightning was circling around. Looking up, I saw it over Monte Baldo. Nutrition? I took drinks, condensed milk, and energy products. They gave them to me with a forearm clip. First every hour, then every half hour, and in the last stretch every 15 minutes. Towards the end, I almost stopped, couldn’t go any further, almost felt like I’d have a blackout. I still have adrenaline in my body now, but if I sit down, I’m sure I’d collapse.”
Massimo Padovan, the Safety Councilor, welcomed him, giving him a book and the Grifone di Sirmione, a marble-glass honor award produced in Hungary. Also waiting for Sartori were former colleagues from the Polizia stradale of Salò, Desenzano, and nearby areas.
The equipment and predecessors
The Riva police officer (who wore a wetsuit and a pair of fins, ordered online from an American company that supplies the Navy Seals and the Italian Marines, the special units of the San Marco battalion) is the first Gardesano to connect the North and South shores.
In June ’97, the 30-year-old Marco Battaggia from Mestre swam the lake in 21 hours and 58 minutes. In October ’99, the 44-year-old Slovenian Martin Streel, a record holder in extreme distances and a true professional who had tackled the Channel from Dover to Calais, the sea stretch between Tunisia and Pantelleria, and the 162-kilometer course from Lignano to Ravenna, did even better: 21 hours, 25 minutes, and 32 seconds.
Both started from Riva, managing to reach the port of Desenzano with some difficulty. The distance: about 60 kilometers. Before them, in 1987, a Bari lawyer (Pinto) tried but lost orientation and ran aground in the shallows of Lazise, on the Veronese side. Christian, who prepared himself over a month and a half, alternating swimming with mountain biking, didn’t care about records or the clock: the achievement and the memory of Silvia meant much more than the time he registered.