The 2°C water in a freshwater pool is definitely a challenge for any hardened swimmer, especially at altitude and especially after the sun has set.
American coach-swimmer Joe Zemaitis explains how he and his swimmers were able to prepare for the ice swimming competition in northern Italy while living and training in the arid desert of that American southwest state of Arizona. The 44-year-old International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame Honor Swimmer explains, “We don’t have an ability to train in cold water so we do ice baths in conjunction with warm water swimming in order to prepare to swim in Molveno at the IISA 6th World Championship here in the mountains.
We do not have a fancy ice tub. It is one that [my brother] John built it out of a chest freezer by caulking the seams and filling with water. It can hold the temperature as cold as we can stand it. We have it dialed in well where the water temperature is right at 1°C with a big mass of ice at the bottom, but not where it’s freezing all over.”
Zemaitis Ice Swimming Sets
“We’ll do a set where I go 4 minutes in the ice tub where the water is 1-2°C and then we get out and immediately go to the pool where we do 2 x 50 sprints on :50. This is followed by 4 x 25 sprints on :30, then we do a 100 easy. Then we get out and go straight back in the ice tub. We repeat that rotation five times.
It’s not a perfect training system, but it’s the best we can get in Arizona.
With all the ice bath training back home, we are not having a problem with the initial shock of getting into the water here in Molveno at the IISA 6th World Championship. But the longer races are tough – especially with intense pain in our hands and feet. The altitude of Molveno is also a challenge.
It’s difficult to stay relaxed enough at the start of a race and establish my breathing. Even with all the challenges, it’s magic in Molveno this week and Team USA is loving every minute.”
Zemaitis is shown below with 20-year-old California Berkeley sophomore Keaton Jones who set a world record in the preliminary heats 100m freestyle this morning [in an almost unbelievable time of 53.71, his third world record in his first 3 races] along with his sister Ezmee Jones, and his ice swimming brother John Zemaitis.
IISA 6th World Championships Ice Kilometer
Today, toughness will be required as the Ice Kilometer heats are underway in the 1.8°C (35°F) water.
As IISA founder Ram Barkai describes the extent of the cold that the swimmers are facing, “This pool water at 1.8°C feels colder than the water we faced in the ocean water we swim in Antarctica [see photos below from the Argentinian Station].”
But the sense of achievement shown by the athletes after successfully completing the Ice Kilometer in a 1.8°C pool is clearly obvious. Avishag Turek of Israel finished her 1000m freestyle in 16:38.07 was one of these elated swimmers today.
Watch the livecast of the rest of the 1000m freestyle heats and the finals of the 100m freestyle here.
© 2025 Daily News of Open Water Swimming
“to educate, enthuse, and entertain all those who venture beyond the shoreline“
A World Open Water Swimming Federation project.