Episode 47: Swimming in ice: turning every challenge into an opportunity.

This episode's guest is a world record holder, a true endurance athlete and someone who constantly challenges what is possible and forces us all to ask, why not?

We first encountered this athlete after hearing he was the first Para athlete to complete the Northern Channel crossing. Not only did we not know what the Northern Crossing was, but we soon discovered an incredibly inspiring athlete who was excellent in cold water and distance swimming.

Additionally, he is a pioneer in making the open water and countryside more accessible for people with disabilities. He is involved with several charities and organisations where he passionately believes in making sport accessible. 

Jonty Warneken is a GB para-athlete, an ice swimming world record holder, and is heavily involved in OMT, the World Open Water Swimming Association and the Ice Swimming Association. We are delighted to spend some time talking to him, though we realise his ability to normalise some of the most daunting endurance feats is infectious. There is a strong chance that by talking any longer with him, we would jump at the opportunity of going cold water swimming, completing an ice mile and looking for the next distance swim challenge. Why? Well, because why not?!

In this fascinating episode, we explore his feats of endurance, ability to withstand freezing temperatures, and how he works with a greater sense of purpose to achieve his goals.

For more information on Jonty and some of what we have covered in today’s episode:

Ice Swimming

International Ice Swimming – https://internationaliceswimming.com/

Para Ice Swimming – https://www.openwaterswimming.com/para-swimmers-made-ice-swimming-history-at-the-5th-iisa-world-championship/

Para-swimming

Para V swim series – https://www.para-v.com/

Open Water Swimming Advisory Board – https://www.openwaterswimming.com/announcing-our-new-wowsa-advisory-board/

Charity Work:

Opencountry charity – https://www.opencountry.org.uk/ 

Yorkshire dale river trust – https://www.ydrt.org.uk/