WHAT 55 HOURS OF WATER WILL DO TO YOUR BODY

Well, this man, Maarten Van der Weijden from the Netherlands, can show you his own experience in what 55 hours of water will do to your body.

Maarten, who won a gold medal at the Olympics in 2008 for his swimming talents, recently attempted to swim the entire 200km (120miles) long track of Elfstedentocht in the Netherlands. The sole reason behind the event was to raise funds for cancer research, a cause close to Maarten’s heart.

At 19, Maarten was diagnosed with cancer and the doctors weren't sure he would survive leukemia, however, Maarten proved them wrong. Not only did the resilient swimmer beat cancer, he made a rapid comeback, swimming only two years after the diagnosis.

The journey he was about to embark on to raise funds would take 3 days which would include short naps to rest, however, Maarten only managed to swim a distance of 163km, which totalled 55 hours, before he fell ill and the water was deemed too polluted to continue. Despite not managing to meet the 200km goal, Maarten raised a fantastic $4 million for the cancer research.

Check out the gallery to see how his hands and feet looked after 55 hours in the water.