Endurance athlete Hector Picard just became the first double-arm amputee to finish the 12.5-mile swim around Key West in the 41st annual Swim Around Key West.
Picard completed the giant loop in 7 hours, 45 minutes. It was his longest swim to date. Prior to the accomplishment, the longest he had ever swam was five miles.
“The first 2 miles were tough then miles 6 – 8 were even tougher, but the last two were the toughest trying to cope with a foot of water,” he wrote on Facebook. “From swallowing water and stinging eyes, I pushed through to the finish. Physically, I was fine and recovered well but I was so happy to have finished in 7:45.
“I want to thank the event organizers and volunteers for putting up a fun and safe event. I didn’t get eaten by a shark!”
Picard is also the first double-arm amputee to complete an IRONMAN. He even finished the 2016 IRONMAN World Championship in Kona.
Picard lost his arms in 1992 in an electrical accident. After being hit with 13,000 volts of electricity twice, he was in a coma for 30 days. When he woke up, he saw his arms were gone and he had second and third-degree burns covering 40% of his body.
It was only after the accident that he began competing in triathlons.
If you’d like to learn more about Picard, check out our 1-on-1 with him.
