Navy vet to swim length of Mississippi River

Long-time readers of NewsCut know we have a particular fondness for those who challenge themselves on long-distance endeavors. We have a new addition.

Chris Ring, Navy vet, has launched his bid to swim the length of the Mississippi River — 2,552 miles from the headwaters at Minnesota’s Lake Itasca to New Orleans — in support of families whose loved one have been killed in combat, the Duluth News Tribune reports today.

“I’m not trying to set a record. I’m not trying to be the fastest person,” Ring told a crowd on Saturday. “It’s just more to connect and unite as many families as possible.”

Ring plans to swim about 16 miles a day.

If he makes it, he’ll be the first American to swim the length of the Mississippi — the second human to do so — according to Legacies Alive, which is sponsoring the attempt.