Lake Issyk Kul is on the Map!

NPR wrote up a great article about Sarah’s successful Issyk Kul swim back in August. It’s a great write-up, pointing out the basis for the crossing, the legend of Toru-Aygyr. It also does a good job covering Sarah’s reasons for doing the crossing: to persuade the Kyrgyz to pursue a healthier and more active lifestyle.

Heart disease and high blood pressure are common problems in Kyrgyzstan. Another problem in that country is nutrition: fully 17% of Kyrgyz, across all socio-economic classes, are malnourished; most of them children. (Carbs make up a super-majority of the Kyrgyz diet, and not the good carbs.)

Sarah’s swim also showed the Kyrgyz that women are just as capable as men. There’s a funny exchange between one of the boat crew (Bakut? Kuban? Which was it Sarah?) and her that is very illustrative of the attitudes of Kyrgyz men as far as women are concerned. (Not necessarily bad, but ignorant.)

And I must say it is very nice that Sarah made sure NPR included me in the article. Thanks Sarah, for what you’ve done for your country and host country, and for what you’ve done for swimming in Kyrgyzstan!

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