Saturday the 20th of January turned out to be the busiest ice mile day in Swimyourswim’s history .
In our 10th anniversary year, we saw 10 successful ice miles being completed ( subject to ratification ) at DCLT’s Hatfield Outdoor Activity Centre in Doncaster.
In crystal clear water which was a nice chilly 4.5ºC all of swimmers that were attempting their official IISA ice mile had to complete two full circuits of the lake, wearing just a swimming costume, one swim cap and a pair of goggles.
They were each accompanied by a support boat and two crew, made up of one helm and one rescue swimmer, the rescue swimmer being geared up in a dry suit in case they were needed to enter the water to effect a rescue.
The air temperature was hovering around 4ºC with a light to moderate westerly breeze which made the far section of the lake a little more interesting than usual at times, both for the swimmer and boat crews, but still well within our safety protocols.
The swimmers were from all over the UK , travelling from as far afield as Wales, London and Somerset but also including some home grown talent from Lincoln and Hull.
Sadly due to the tight schedule and logistics of organising such a day we didn’t have chance to take a group photograph of all of the swimmers at the beginning of the day but they definitely deserve all of the credit they get, so if you swim with any of the people listed below or bump into them at an event, please give them a big smile and a huge well done, they were awesome.
Ice Mile Swimmers ( str ) – Derek Bissett 28m.12s, Melanie Holland 30m 00s, Christopher Trethewey 32m 08s, Adele Havercroft 39m 08s, Diane Asbury 31m 04s, Esther Guy 38m 57s, Ziggy Pearce 46m 00s, Rona Lucas 36m 01s, Catherine Markwell 29m 32s, Sioned Roberts 41m 48s. A special mention also for Steve, Anel & Jenny who are all safe to swim another day and deserve equal praise for stepping over the starting line.
It goes without saying that this undertaking is a huge team effort and wouldn’t be possible without the massive support we get from an amazing group of volunteers. They turn up to spend a freezing cold day sat beside, or on a lake ( or a warm recovery room ) to help other swimmers achieve their ambitions, your commitment and friendship humbles us every day, thank you –
Susan Thomas – Registration
Ilana Duveen – Registration
Tracy Canning – Recovery
Sarah Farrar – Recovery
Barbara Heyes – Recovery
Claire Poole – Recovery
Sam – Recovery
Joanne Shaw – Swimmer support
Tracy Byfield – Swimmer support
Dawn Varley – Swimmer support
David Rhodes – Swimmer support
Yannie Duveen – Spotter
Mataan Duveen – Water Entry
Jane Crosby – Spotter & Timing ( as well as everything else listed here and more, thank you )
Lucy Hook – Spotter
Rob – Spotter
Video – Sarah Pearson
Witness – Jonty Warneken
Observer – Leon Fryer
Charlene – Ice Mile Boat Crew 1 – Jonathan Dyson, Chris Greenwood & Will Cooper
Matilda – Ice Mile Boat Crew 2 – Stuart Livingston & Ruth Elias
Elvis – Ice Mile Boat Crew 3 – Kevin Cronshaw & Sam Farrow
Short Course – Support Boat Crew 4 – Joe Thomas & Shauni Lemmens
Centre Management- Michele Parnham & Demi
Fingers crossed the water temperature holds and we can see more ice milers in the water.
Be bright, stay safe, learn CPR and please don’t swim alone.
Eat Cake.
