A breath-taking swim in December - Rachel's Icebreaker
22.09.2022
Rachel took part the Icebreaker in 2021.
"I had never intended to swim all year round but the lake where I had swam in the summer stayed open, and I thought I would see how long I could keep going.
The Icebreaker challenge in December gave me an incentive to keep going as I wanted to raise money for Crisis. It was not easy and when it dropped below 10 degrees it took my breath away! However, I was lucky to be swimming in a place that had an excellent support crew of experienced winter swimmers who offered advice and encouragement. I swam all through the winter, hardly missing a week, in temperatures as low as 6 degrees, for a minimum of 250m which was around 10 minutes. I looked forward to it every week and am sure it greatly helped my mental health.
My top tips? Find somewhere where there are experienced swimmers, use a wetsuit, neoprene hat, gloves, and bootees - they all help! Get out of your wet clothes ASAP and layer up quickly (forget underwear as it’s too fiddly with cold hands!) Slowly warm up with a hot drink and have a sugary snack. And know your limits.
I intend to swim all winter again this year and, having ditched my wetsuit in the hot weather, will try to avoid wearing it when the temperature drops.
If you are thinking about entering the challenge give it a go! An added bonus was that other swimmers in the group noticed my Crisis swim cap and also entered the challenge."
Face the freeze with Icebreaker.
For media enquiries:
E: media@crisis.org.uk
T: 020 7426 3880
For general enquiries:
E: enquiries@crisis.org.uk
T: 0300 636 1967