Athletes at the New Zealand ice swimming championships prepare to plunge into Otago's Blue Lake near St Bathans in July 2023. Photo: Supplied / Birgit Krippner
A Central Otago town's outdoor pool is the latest test for some athletes who like to "push our limits".
Alexandra is the setting for the New Zealand Ice Swimming Championships which will be held over four days from Wednesday.
Ice swimming is done in water that's 5 degrees Celsius or colder, wearing only a swim cap, goggles, and a swimsuit.
One of the organisers, Sue Sherwin, said it was minus 3 in Alexandra on Tuesday morning so she was confident the outdoor pool would be cold enough.
"Alexandra is the perfect place because it's the extremes capital of New Zealand - it has the hottest temperatures and the lowest temperatures."
Races would include the sprints of 50 metres and 100m up to 1km covering the different strokes.
Everyone who took part had to have a medical and an ECG beforehand, she told Morning Report.
Two doctors and two nurses would also be on site plus a crew at the side of the pool to jump in and rescue anyone not handling the chilly water.
About half of those taking part this year would be "newbies", however, they would have done plenty of training in cold water to get acclimatised.
"The more times you get into the cold water the better you are able to cope with it."
Sherwin said ice swimmers formed a close-knit community who had a lot of a laughs and were very supportive of each other.
"We're a bunch of people who like to push our limits and maybe they've done the pool swimming, they've done the ocean swimming and just looking for the next challenge."
Ice swimming championship rules insist the water temperature has to be 5degC or lower. Photo: Supplied / Birgit Krippner
Wellington swimmer Rachel Averill who is heading to the championships said ocean swimming was the lead-in for many.
Averill said people enjoyed the challenge and often started off with ocean swimming during winter.
"A lot of the Wellingtonians that I'm with do just that and it's an extra challenge to see what we can cope with and to see what extremes our bodies can deal with."
At stake also was selection for a New Zealand team to compete at the world champs in Italy next year.
Averill believes the sport has become more popular, attracting 39 competitors to St Bathans Blue Lake in Central Otago last year.
This time 50 people have entered.
"People throwing themselves into cold water seems to be getting a really good thing to do."
