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WHO IS ALEX?

Alex was born in Aprica, Valtellina, in 1978.  Like many other dreamers, he spent most of his 30 years imagining to be somebody else, in some other part of the world,  experiencing a very different existence that would take him away from the monotony and confusion of a young man’s daily life.

Sport, in its every form and meaning, has always been a steady point of reference throughout his life.

Growing up in Aprica, a mountain village, his first athletic passion was alpine skiing, an activity which he always practiced with great success and gratification.

Maybe the call for adventure has always been simmering inside of him, but times were not yet ripe for more extreme undertakings.

But in 1999 something important happened:  Alex was chosen to participate in the National Selections for the Camel Trophy in Tonga.  During these trials he had the chance to meet many people who had gained some experience with adventure, and it was then that he knew with absolute certainty what that voice inside of him had been saying all along:  movement, danger, personal sacrifice,  his calling was saving him from the monotony of a quiet life.

From 2000 to 2001 he runs his first marathons, including the New York City Marathon and the Marathon des Sables, 260 kn through the Moroccan Desert.

In 2002 and 2003 he flies towards the chill of the north for an adventure wich takes place every year in Alaska and follows almost exactly the track of the Iditarod, the worldfamous sledge dog race.

Alex decides not to rely on dogs for this race, but rather to face it by himself, in complete self-sufficiency, by towing a sledge with everything he needs for his survival.

During the first edition of the race he participates in, he covers 600 km finishing the race in 9 days, promising himself that he’ll be back the following year.

In 2003 because of unusual weather conditions and lack of snow, the starting point of the race was moved about 100 km North East, close to the Canada border.  As a consequence the route of the race went from the usual 1800 km to a shorter distance of 1400 km, most of which ran along the course of the Yukon river.  Alex runs in this occasion for 23 days, reaching the 3 rd place in the overall final results.

From the expanse of the northern ice, Alex decides to turn his attention to the vastness of the oceans.  In 2005 Alex becomes the first man to cross the Mediterranean sea and the Atlantic Ocean  on a lone trip using a rowing boat 7,5 meters long.  The 10,000 km long crossing from Genova to Fortaleza (Brasil) takes 226 days.

On February 21st, 2008, using the same rowing boat named by Alex “Rose of Altacama II”, Alex sets out from Lima, Peru’, rowing his way into the Pacific Ocean to reach Australia.  He will succesfully conclude the crossing of the Pacific Ocean on December 13th , 2008 after a trip 18,000 km long and 294 days spent alone in the open ocean.

With this latest task, Alex makes his entrance into nautical history with a new record of the longest succesful ocean crossing with a rowing boat.

 

Aknowledgements:

 

“Knight of the Waters” 2006:  the traditional investiture  wich the Italian Rowing Federation reserves every year for the 5 most oustanding performers of the season. This price was awarded to Alex after he crossed the Mediterranean and the Atlantic Ocean.

Explorerweb: has included the crossing from Genova (Italy) to Fortaleza (Brasil) among the 8 most outstanding adventures of 2006.

FISSS(Italian Federation for Sport and Sperimental Survival) nominated Alex Bellini instructor “honoris causa” for distinguishing himself in the skills of survival during his crossing of the pacific ocean.

Amova International Award: 31st October 2009- price which the A.M.O.V.A. (Gold Medals for Athletic Worth Association) awards the champions who have made worldwide sport history.

 

 

CONTACTS:

For further information please contact
Francesca Bellini - PRESS OFFICE ALEX BELLINI
+39 335 1295917
comunicazione@alexbellini.it