First disabled swimmer completes Ice Mile swim

Simon Griffiths | H2Open Editor | Monday 27 January 2014

On 19 January this year, Jonty Warnekan of Harrogate joined the elite group who have completed a one mile swim in water of less than five degrees Celsius – an Ice Mile. 

Warnekan, 41, decided late in 2013 that he wanted to keep swimming outside through the winter with a view to taking part in the Big Chill Swim, Windermere, in February. He became a regular at Ellerton Lake, steadily increasing his swim distance and time in the water under the watchful eye of Pauline Squire of Wild about Swimming.

As a result of injuries from a car accident, Warnekan had the lower portion of his left leg removed. He has pins in the other ankle and a metal plate in his head. None of this stopped him completing 10km swims in the summer and it wouldn’t stop him doing the Ice Mile.

The swim, supported by a team of 14, took 58 minutes to complete, with Jonty maintaining a steady pace throughout except for the final stretch where he started to slow.

The International Ice Swimming Association confirmed the swim on 23 Jan.

First northern Hemisphere Ice Milers for winter 2013/14

Pleased our lads are in the H2O Magazine!!! Thanks Simon Griffiths :)

First northern hemisphere Ice Milers for winter 2013/14

Simon Griffiths | H2Open Editor | Wednesday 11 December 2013

The International Ice Swimming Association (IISA) has ratified four more Ice Milers: three in the UK and one in the US.

Starting on 19 November, James Brown completed an Ice Mile at Ellerton Lake in Yorkshire.  Eleven days later Brown was back in the water at Treeton Dyke, along with Alistair Beattie and Leon Fryer. The official temperature for Brown’s first attempt was 3.9 degrees Celsius. For the second it was 4.18 degrees. According the IISA rules the temperature must be measured by three different devices.

The three were coached by Pauline Squire, who says: “The first lap appeared to be done with ease, but then came the turning point where the cheers of the supporters appeared to go unheard as each swimmer headed towards the start line and turned, the distance ahead of them unfathomable as with cold leaden arms they started out again.”

On the second lap the swimmers' breathing became laboured and their stroke rates slowed.

“Now was the dangerous part of the swim: the body tiring, the brain barely registering the route required, the mouth so frozen that words could not be formulated,” says Squire. “Their limbs now felt like dead weights. It was a painful process to cover the last 500 metres. All three stopped several times.”

The three swimmers made it to the end and managed to exit the water unaided. Their supporters then bundled them quickly into warm clothes and blankets and plied them with hot drinks.

A week later, on 7 December, Gordon Gridley completed an Ice Mile in tough conditions in Utah’s Great Salt Lake. The water temperature was a mere 1.19 degrees while the air dropped to minus 6.1 degrees. Despite this, Gridley blasted through his swim in 26 minutes, which looks like a top ten time, and only a couple of minutes behind the fastest ever.

Editor's note: An Ice Mile is a serious and potentially dangerous swimming challenge that should only be undertaken by experienced swimmers in controlled and supervised situations.

- See more at: http://www.h2openmagazine.com/news/first-northern-hemisphere-ice-milers-winter-201314/#sthash.etMSjZMo.T6APGM3T.dpuf

Clear vision - goggle review by SALLY BIRD

To be swimming in the sea is wonderful but to be able to see into the distance is even better, not a gift but something to be bought in Asda’s!  

£18 Prescription Goggles

Black with UV protected grey polycarbonate anti-fog lenses

One week to be made

Lens from +1.0 upwards

Includes protective carrying case

PRO'S

•                     Perfect for outdoor swimming too, as they are tinted.

•                     The surrounding seal seems to be extremely good

•                     Early days but no misting or leaking

•                     Very easy to adjust

•                     No red marks left around the eyes

•                     Do not have to have the strap too tight to avoid leaking

CON'S

•                     On collection, ensure the goggles fit, no problem if they don’t as there are different sized interchangeable nose bridges, however, they are not the easiest things to change over, let Asda’s do this

•                     No choice of colour

•                     No choice of whether I wanted tint or not, that was all they had but perhaps that was the store I was in

If you have any doubts if they will be any use and do not have time to go into Asda, go into any shop or supermarket that sell cheap glasses, they are always marked up +1.0, +2.0 etc.  Then try them on, find a pair where the distance is good, job done!  You now have size lens you require.

Originally when I was buying new glasses, had no idea about prescription goggles and for £18 thought I would chance it, so pleased that I did.