2025
One person. 72 hours. One dream.
A passion for open-water swimming set the story in motion and brought a community together around it.
The Swim4Dreams story
More editions. The same water. A dream that keeps moving forward.
Swim4Dreams is an initiative built around open-water swimming, courage and community.
Each edition opens a new chapter while keeping the same direction: individual performance becomes an experience shared with others.
What Swim4Dreams is
Beyond the starting line
Swim4Dreams brings together endurance challenges, open-water races and the people who make them possible. It is not one race or one year, but a story that grows from one edition to the next.
The story across editions
A journey that continues
2026
The challenge became a festival
The Siderurgic Canal in Călărași hosted the 72-hour challenge, races and the moments of an edition experienced together.
2027
The next chapter
Swim4Dreams returns to Călărași from July 22 to 25, 2027, carrying the story forward.
The people behind the story
Three names, the same direction
Three presences that give the project identity, inspiration and continuity, from its beginnings to the chapters ahead.
01
Project ambassador
Mihai Badea
Open-water endurance swimmer, Honorary Citizen of Călărași County and one of the voices that gives the project strength, direction and identity. For years, Mihai Badea has turned every swim into a statement about discipline, meaning and real presence in the water.
02
The legend who inspires
Martin Strel
Big River Man. World record holder and one of the strongest figures in open-water swimming. His presence gives the project an international dimension, a real symbolic validation and a bridge between a local dream and global resonance.
03
The man carrying the relay forward
Alex Nicoară
Endurance swimmer, engineer, husband and father of two, with experience in international open-water competitions. In 2026, Alex entered the water for the 72-hour challenge and carried forward the spirit of 72 Dus-Întors through discipline, courage and continuity.
2026 retrospective
The edition that turned a challenge into a shared experience
The aftermovie captures the energy in the water and on shore. Start it when you are ready; the film includes sound.
Community and continuity
Performance gains meaning when it is shared
Athletes, volunteers, families and spectators meet around the same experience. Swim4Dreams keeps the strength of a personal challenge and turns it into a place for connection, support and belonging.
2027 · the next chapter
The story does not end with the retrospective
The 2026 edition is a completed chapter, preserved in images. The next Swim4Dreams gathering takes place in Călărași from July 22 to 25, 2027.