Newport, USA, Feb 28 (EFE).- Every year for the past decade, dozens of swimmers have braved the frigid waters of Lake Memphremagog, which straddles the border between Canada and the United States, for the annual winter swim festival.
This year, over 150 cold water swimmers gathered near the small town of Newport, Vermont in late February to spend four days swimming a variety of events in 25-meter lanes that were cut out of the frozen lake, about 300 meters from the shore.
Despite the 40F (4.4C) degree weather on the opening day and the sudden drop to 10F (-12.2C) degree weather along with 30mph (48kph) winds on day two, excitement and smiles abound at this convivial event which is more a community than a competition.
At the start of the weekend, swimmers are briefed on safety and to review the rules. Participants are not allowed to fully submerge their heads, while there are also bans on diving, wetsuits, nudity and alcohol – at least prior to the event. A post-swim drink at the nearby EastSide pub, however, is allowed.
Competitions start with the ‘Hat Swim,’ where participants wear custom-designed headgear as a show piece for the 25 meters.
Many of the participants have been cold swimmers for several years, with a number of them having started after indoor pools and social distancing regulations were enacted during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Others have found mental help and physical relief from cold swimming. Several swim in cold waters nearly everyday of the year.
Tom Heyerdahl of Ottawa, Canada, following the passing of his wife from cancer, and in order to cope with his bipolar disorder, started cold water swimming when he happened upon a group who convinced him to join in.
He found the activity so beneficial that he has cut, to his knowledge, the only 25 meter swimming channel in the Ottawa River next to his home so that he can swim every day.
“I am not a fast swimmer; I’m not even a good swimmer, but I find that it helps me find balance. And now I am the second oldest man to have completed the ice mile,” Heyerdahl tells EPA-EFE.
The event at Lake Memphremagog was created 10 years ago by organizer Phil White. After large sections of ice were cut out of the frozen lake for an ice maze, he was asked what to do about the hole left in the ice. He replied: “Well, we could go swimming.”
Ten years later, what began as a joke has become an annual tradition that attracts hardy swimmers from around the world to Lake Memphremagog. EFE
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