Cool picture! But, truth is… he’s likely a winter surfer, not a swimmer. And he’s wearing a wetsuit. Waaaay easier than ice swimming!
So in case you weren’t aware, swimming an “Ice Mile” is a thing. And has been for a few years now. People try and swim 1 mile in water that is 5C / 41F or colder. And if you think “how hard could it be?!” It’s hard. And it isn’t just a matter of getting the courage up and trying to swim a mile in cold water. Think how long it takes you to swim a mile. If you are fast, maybe around 20 minutes or so. If you are slow, maybe 30 minutes or so. And then add more time. Maybe 10-15 minutes. Because you simply can’t swim as fast in cold water as you can in warm water, at least for that amount of time. Your muscles just get so tight and you literally lose the feel of the water. Trust me, you are significantly slower.
So you need to train for it. Which, like many tough endeavours, is the hard part. Putting in the time and effort to do the hard work required for success. And these 3 women have done the work. Not just for a few weeks, but over the past couple of years. And coincidentally it all came together this November for all 3 of them. Talk about putting LOST women on the ICE map! Check this out:
2 qualifying Ice Kilometers and 5 official Ice Miles in 3 weeks, ratified by IISA for these Canadian women.
In Canada, for the season of 2018, the number of successful ICE MILES jumped from 2 to 7! The only 2 previous Ice Miles were completed Paul Duffield in 2012 and 2013.
The final stats are as follows:
Nadine Bennett
Nov 11th, Lac Meech: air -8c, water 4.53c, 1.90km time 41:31
Nov 18th, Lac Meech, air -6, water 1.82c, 1.06km time 21:02
Nov 25th, Lake Ontario: air 6c, water 4.10c, 1.66km time 33:45
Dec 2nd, St Lawrence: air 4c, water 3.93c, 1.69km time 34:49
Amy Ross
Nov 11th, Lake Ontario: air -2c, water 4.43c 1.64km time 36:21
Katharine Borczak
Nov 18th, Lake Ontario: air 1c, water 3.9c 1.03km time 25:12
Nov 25th, Lake Ontario: air 6c , water 4.10c 1.67km time 39:24
On a side note: specifically Nadine Bennett – A quick look through the history of IISA swim records worldwide shows that only a couple of people have ever swum that many ice miles in such a short window (unverified by IISA).
Interestingly Canada now surpassed both Austria and New Zealand… the question now is .. will they overpower Scotland … in 2019!
On a serious note: Swims like these take time in training. At minimum 2 years of seasonal training. They need the assistance of crew that will be not just watch them, but actually jump in and pull them if required. The IISA association has strict guidelines that must be followed for safety from doctor’s approval to a full safety plan in place. Swims like this should not be taken lightly.
For the rest of us mortals… we’ll see you at the LOST Polar Bear Dip on Jan 1, 2019!
Congrats ladies, on these amazing swims!
Cheers,
Rob