Alexandra will host the first International Ice Mile Swimming Championships to be held in New Zealand this weekend.

The freezing cold forecast for Central this weekend is just what Ice Mile Event director Susan Sherwen was hoping for.

Susan says picking Alexandra to host the event was simple.

“We looked for the coldest place in the country, found Ophir, and then looked for the closest outdoor pool.”  

Luckily for her, the Central Otago District Council had planned not to empty the pool this winter and the water temperature met the International Ice Swimming Association (IISA) regulation of being 5°C or lower.

Twenty-two keen swimmers from Auckland, Christchurch, Southern Lakes, and Nelson have registered for New Zealand’s inaugural championships (Sunday July 16 to Tuesday July 18).

The entrants range in age from 16 to 66-years-old.

The IISA began in 2009 with a vision to make swimming in icy waters a new sport and now has members in 73 countries. 

The association’s rules state swimmers must only wear one standard swimming costume, one pair of goggles, and one standard swimming silicon cap. Earplugs are allowed. Safety is taken seriously and participants must have had a medical exam prior to competing in an ice mile event and will have two medics in attendance.

Alexandra Pool aquatics manager Carly Getson said the team was extremely excited to host the first ice swim in NZ and hope it becomes an annual event.

“We’ll have lifeguards on duty and we’ve created an area where the swimmers can quickly exit the pool and warm up,” she said.  

Susan Sherwen after swimming her first (unofficial) ice mile at Lake Lyndon in 2021

Lockdowns in 2020 were the catalyst for this organised, extreme-cold dip.  

Susan is a regular swimmer in Auckland and when indoor pools closed, frustration led her and five swimming mates to swim outdoors throughout winter. 

This led to a group of 12 travelling to Lake Lyndon in Canterbury in 2021 to explore ice swimming in 3.6°C fresh water. It was such a success, the idea for an International Ice Mile swimming championship in New Zealand was hatched.

Swimmers who complete this weekend’s one-mile challenge will qualify for the first ice mile lake swim to be held in New Zealand next year. 

Organisers are looking for a suitable lake that meets the IISA regulation of being 5°C or below, with suitable facilities for entrants to warm up in afterwards.

Three locals enter Lake Dunstan on the shortest day this year. They confirmed the endorphin rush is real, and they plan to be on the side-lines in Alexandra this weekend. Lake Dunstan, by the way, usually sits at a balmy 12°C in winter.

The programme begins at 9.30am on Sunday with 100m, 200m, 500m, 1km and 1-mile (1.6km) categories. The full programme is available here. The public are welcome to come and watch at no charge (normal charges apply for the indoor pool).  

Alexandra Pool, currently measuring 3.7°C degrees water temperature.