In the stream
Joseph Hess
He has set himself a target of 1232 kilometres. He wants to cover this distance in 25 days. By swimming! Through one of the busiest waterways in Europe - the Rhine. What sounds pretty crazy is above all a great adventure for Joseph Heß. The 34-year-old will start on 11 June at the source of the Rhine, Lake Toma in Switzerland, and aims to reach the mouth of the river near Rotterdam on 6 July. In the Macher der Woche interview, Joseph Heß explains why he wants to explore his limits and how he links his endeavour to the European Capital of Culture 2025.
Mr Heß, if everything goes well, you will swim the distance without a rest day. That means around 50 kilometres a day. What hurts the most after a day like that?
Joseph Heß: Different things (laughs). My shoulders are surprisingly good. I've taught myself a slippery, flowing crawl technique. Apart from that, it's always little things. My ear is currently causing me some problems with inflammation, but I'm going to use customised earplugs. The wetsuit also rubs extremely on my neck during several daily stages. This can lead to open sores. That was almost a killer criterion for Andreas Fath, who swam along the Rhine in 2014.
How are the stages organised? Do you swim all the way through?
I get up early and put sun cream on first so that it can soak in. Then I eat - a lot, a lot. Pasta, wholemeal bread, semolina porridge and sugary drinks. I'm in the water by 9am at the latest. After an hour, I'm fed. That means I hold on to the kayak, eat a banana or have a drink. After that, the cycle is shortened to every half hour. At lunchtime, I get out of the water once. I eat something, let it digest for half an hour and then continue at 30-minute intervals.
After Joseph Heß had already achieved his gold badge in swimming in the third grade, he completed his first 24-hour swim at some point - and came third straight away. In 2016, he swam through the Strait of Gibraltar, in 2017 through Lake Constance, then through the River Elbe and from Sardinia to Corsica. In 2018, he swam through the ten largest lakes in Germany.
How long will you be in the water in the Rhine each day?
That depends on how fast the water is flowing. It will probably be up to eight hours. I swim long distances at between three and a half and four kilometres per hour. In the Alpenrhein, I swim bathtub style, so I put my feet in front so that I don't break anything if I hit a stone. There's no current in Lake Constance, so I'll need nine or ten hours there with breaks to go to the toilet. From there, we are planning constant daily stage lengths of 50 kilometres.
How do you feel after a stage like that?
I am a mercilessly optimistic person. Of course I'm a bit exhausted, but it depends on how I'm feeling on the day. There are moments when your head is muddy. I throw my head from left to right all day - I always compare it to the ecstatic dance of indigenous people. It's the same with swimming. The goal is a feeling of flow that makes you forget space and time. This feeling sometimes lingers afterwards. I often lie on my back on the jetty first to restore my sense of balance.
How do you crawl, how often do you take a breath?
Every three strokes. So take a breath - stroke - stroke - take a breath. Sometimes every five strokes, because I can see what's happening on both my left and right. I have arranged hand signals with my canoeist, who is next to me the whole time and manoeuvres me. We don't talk in time, it's a very lonely sport.
What do you think about during all those hours?
My wife makes fun of me a bit, but I tell her that because it really is like that: I like to lay out little problems or snippets of thoughts beforehand that I finish thinking about in the water. And hopefully at some point this flow will materialise.
Joseph Heß has a doctorate in economics and is head of the Accelerator at Chemnitz University of Technology. That means he looks after the start-ups. Joseph Heß was born in Berlin and grew up in Thuringia. He came to Chemnitz to study and stayed for love. He has since built a house in Wittgensdorf.
Where do you train?
I spent most of the winter in the city pool. The Chemnitz Swimming Club also gave me swimming times almost every day at the Sportforum. But I also went into the open water every week in winter: Hainer See, Elbe, Berlin at Schlachtensee. I also train in the Rabenstein reservoir, but as a long-distance swimmer you quickly get a headache.
What is the biggest challenge on the Rhine?
On the Elbe, entire harbours were closed to me, but that's not the case on the Rhine. That's fine, because it's a much bigger trade route. I spent a year battling with the authorities for licences. There is a general ban on swimming near structures: Bridges, access roads and, of course, harbours. The licences have been softened somewhat for me, but I'm still not allowed to block shipping, which I completely understand. Then I might go on the motorboat for 500 metres and hop back into the water. I'm not aiming for a world record and I don't have to stick to any rules. It's just the idea of adventure.
The Netherlands is still a bit reluctant because it no longer has enough water police on duty to save money. Floods are also dangerous. From Chur to Basel, I am accompanied by a record hunter who has twice tried to be the fastest person across the Rhine in a kayak. He had to stop both times due to high water. I rely on his advice.
And the pollution?
That's also a problem. I have the impression that, as a river swimmer, you inevitably bring stomach bugs out of the water at some point and infect your whole team. In 2014, Professor Fath, who is a hydrochemist, took a lot of water samples. Now I'm collecting samples again, he's leading one of the research teams accompanying me.
You are receiving broad scientific support. Why is that?
I wanted to combine it with something. Swimming is nice, but it's too self-centred. So the sports psychologists from Leipzig and the sports physicians from Chemnitz University of Technology are now involved, as well as Andreas Fath's hydrochemistry team. And media education and energy management from Mittweida University of Applied Sciences are joining in, who have even launched a Startnext campaign. Everyone is making a micro-contribution.
Why are you doing this?
I have a desk job and sit on my arse all day. For me, swimming is the balance. But I also took a break from swimming when I was building my house, so I'm not the crazy person who can only swim. But I just enjoy the adventure that comes with it. It's about a self-determined life and a little bit of self-realisation. But the main driving force is synergy: Research institutes accompany me and I can do something for human knowledge. And then there are the connections that arise between people: A watch manufacturer wants me to test their watch, some people want to swim with me or come to the Rhine to bring food. The team dynamic that develops is simply a joy.
You are handing out invitations to Chemnitz for 2025 in many cities along the Rhine, spreading the message of the Capital of Culture. What is your idea behind this?
Yes, that's what I've endeavoured to do, because I want to carry a good message for my city, which has absorbed me. I find it so fascinating: when the Niners celebrate success or when Kraftklub release a new album, people always say: important message, that Chemnitz can also be different. I think to myself: Guys! Nah, it's nice here. I don't want all this generalised negative hammering. Maybe I can make my micro-contribution and publicise the Capital of Culture idea to attract one or two people to Chemnitz and give the city a chance. For 2025, I would like to see a nice programme and an increase in attractiveness in the long term, so that perhaps one or two people will come here and stay. Like me.