Hundreds take plunge in cold water swimming event

2 days ago

Andrew BartonYorkshire

News image — Di Asbury (left) and Leon Fryer (right) said the Rother Valley swim was "fun, but challenging"

BBC/Mark Ansell A woman and a man are standing on a wooden pontoon. Both are wearing long, insulated coats. They are in front of a body of a lake with floating lane markers visible on the water’s surface, which create a structured swimming area. — Di Asbury (left) and Leon Fryer (right) said the Rother Valley swim was "fun, but challenging"

A group of 150 swimmers have braved icy conditions to make a splash at an annual competition.

The Really Cold Swim Championship, held at Rother Valley Country Park near Rotherham, saw participants don their swimming costumes and brave water temperatures of 2C (35F).

The races on Saturday and Sunday saw officials spend "two hours breaking through several inches of ice", before the contests could start.

One competitor, Di Asbury, said: "It was the coldest water I've ever swum in, but it's such fun and it's challenging. Definitely worth a go."

Speaking after she competed in the 1,000m race and the 200m freestyle and breaststroke events, Asbury said: "When you get in you have a sharp intake of breath and then it's about controlling the breathing, but we've got a fantastic safety crew looking out for us.

"When you hit the end, get out and warm up you think 'have I actually done that', it surpasses all your expectations and helps you when you get back to your normal life."

BBC/Mark Ansell A wooden dock with planks runs along the bottom of the image.
Several swimmers are in the water, swimming in designated lanes. They are wearing swim caps (blue and pink are visible) and swimsuits and are performing freestyle strokes, creating splashes and ripples in the water.
Lane dividers in alternating colors—red, white, and blue—mark the swimming lanes. — The event attracted swimmers from across the country, organisers said

A special 25m laned jetty pool was created in the lake for the event.

Swimmers were not allowed to wear wetsuits, but organisers allowed caps and goggles.

The competition distances ranged from 50m to 1000m, plus relay events.

With safety in mind, participants had to have had previous cold water swimming experience and were asked to sign a disclaimer.

BBC/Mark Ansell A swimmer wearing a blue swim cap with white text, an orange top, and black swim bottoms is climbing out of the water using a metal ladder attached to a dock.
The swimmer is emerging from a lane marked by red floating lane dividers, which are arranged in parallel lines across the water.
A black bucket is placed on the dock near the swimmer.
Another swimmer, wearing a yellow swim cap, is still in the water near a ladder, holding onto the dock edge.
Several individuals are standing on the dock, wearing high-visibility yellow vests and warm clothing. — Organisers said they broke through inches of thick ice before the weekend of races took place

As the event drew to a wintry close, organiser Leon Fryer, said: "It was fun bringing 150 competitors from all over the country together into the ice.

"Safety is obviously paramount at this time of year, as you can see the lake is frozen.

"We had an inch-and-a-half of ice each morning so we spent two hours breaking it up, making sure its safe."