arah began to experience pain in her hip and lower back. She went in for an MRI to find out what was causing the problem. We werent supposed to be shooting with Sarah

EIN GEDI, Israel -- A multinational group of swimmers swam seven hours through the salty, soupy waters of the Dead Sea on Tuesday in a bid to draw attention to the environmental degradation of the fabled lake.At dawn, the 25 swimmers left on boats from Ein Gedi on the Israeli side of the Dead Sea to Wadi Mujib on the Jordanian side. Then, wearing special protective masks and snorkels, the swimmers paddled through the thick waters in what turned into a 17-kilometer (11-mile) swim from Jordan to Israel.Swimming in the Dead Sea is unusual.Tourists typically dip themselves from the beaches and float on the water with the help of the lakes high salt concentration. It also draws people from around the world who believe the waters high mineral content is beneficial for skin conditions.The Dead Sea, the lowest place on earth at 423 meters (1,388 feet) below sea level, has shrunk significantly over recent decades, a process environmentalists blame on unsustainable water management and over-exploitation of the lakes minerals.Were here for the first ever Dead Sea swim challenge with 25 swimmers that come from all over the world to send out a clear message to save the Dead Sea, which is shrinking today at an alarming rate, said Mira Edelstein, from the environmental group EcoPeace, one of the swims organizers.Organizers say the Dead Seas water level has fallen more than 25 meters (80 feet) over the last three decades. The lakes southern basin, disconnected from the shrinking northern side, has seen flooding in recent years because of heavy industrialization.The swimmers, who hailed from Israel, the Palestinian territories and as far as New Zealand, South Africa and Denmark, wore special face masks to shield them from the briny water, which is painful to the eyes and can be deadly to ingest. The group was accompanied by support vessels with medical equipment and food.Despite the tough conditions, only three swimmers failed to finish -- two who suffered from dehydration and a third who complained of chills.Four swimmers took breaks on the medical vessel. Palestinian lifeguard Yussuf Matari, 61, was treated with an IV as he rested in the shade of a boats tarp before plunging in to the waters again.Jackie Cobell, a British long-distance swimmer, called the Dead Sea swim historic and iconic, before descending into the water. This is really important because its disappearing fast.Those who neared the shoreline first waited so all could finish the race together. Speakers blared We are the Champions, the iconic hit by the English rock band Queen.I must say that I did not expect this swim to be so hard and what was really, really tough conditions is that salt. Constantly trying to get the salt out of your mask and the chafing, said Jean Craven, a founder of Madswimmer, a South African charity that participates in open water swims around the world to raise money for childrens causes.This was a challenge, not a race, he added. It was really great to see the camaraderie, you know, everyone trying to bring the slowest swimmers along with them. Jalen Hurd Super Bowl Jersey . PETERSBURG, Fla. Frank Gore Super Bowl Jersey . Having already announced that the race will start May 9 with three stages in Northern Ireland and Ireland and finish in Trieste on June 1, the rest of the route was unveiled Monday. http://www.thesf49ersshoponline.com/Robbie-Gould-49ers-Jersey/ . Q: Team Canada announces their Olympic roster three weeks from today. Who is general manager Steve Yzerman watching? LeBrun: Over the last 48 hours, hes taken in the home-and-home between the Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche with Jamie Benn and Matt Duchene being the obvious targets. DeForest Buckner Super Bowl Jersey . -- Adam Snyder returned to the San Francisco 49ers this season because the offensive lineman thought it was his best opportunity to win a championship. Emmanuel Sanders Super Bowl Jersey . Here are his mid-season NBA awards. MVP: (KEVIN DURANT-Thunder) - Has been sensational this season and more importantly, the most consistent player in the league. Considering that his team has been without star guard Russell Westbrook and with the free agent departure of sharpshooter Kevin Martin, hes had to carry the majority of the load to not only keep his team afloat but more importantly, at an elite level. Run Mama Run is a film series created for the espnW Film Fellowship, presented by Walmart. Filmmaker Daniele Anastasion was chosen for her documentary series about elite runner Sarah Brown, who was training to make the 2016 U.S. Olympic track team while pregnant. The film will be presented as a five-episode digital series in Summer 2016.When I pitched this series to espnW, I laid out a four-episode structure that would culminate with Sarah Brown competing in the Olympic Trials in Episode 4. Ill try not to include any spoilers here, but its safe to say that things didnt exactly unfold that way.For this process, I used a method that many filmmakers use to structure their stories in pre-production. You try to outline your story in advance, so that you have a basic plan for shooting. This is how I figure out shot lists, sequences and interview questions before shoots. The index cards often move around and change, but at least you startt with a plan.ddddddddddddAnd you have to be prepared to throw it all away.We had finished editing Episodes 1 and 2 when Sarah began to experience pain in her hip and lower back. She went in for an MRI to find out what was causing the problem. We werent supposed to be shooting with Sarah that day, but I grabbed a camera and drove out to her house in rural Virginia. I arrived just in time to capture the phone call when her doctor delivers some pretty devastating news.To find out what happens, youll have to watch Episode 4 above. We ended up adding an unplanned fifth episode, to follow all the twists and turns that this story takes. We were lucky that espnW supported us in restructuring the series in a way that would do the story justice.Stay tuned for Episode 5, which we are in the middle of filming now! ' ' '