Ger Kennedy Warms Up For Murmansk In Mikkelvik Brygge

Courtesy of Ger Kennedy, Mikkelvik Brygge, Skagøysund, Norway.

Ger Kennedy is heading to Murmansk, Russia for the International Ice Swimming Association 3rd World Championship in mid-March.

But he branched off to Mikkelvik Brygge in Skagøysund, Norway and completed his Polar Ice Mile at 70° 3′ 12.312” N 19° 1′ 55.2396” E after doing three test swims totaling 2.5 km.

“ I decided to take on a deep water lap of recently claimed island [that he jokingly called Oileán na hÉireann],” said Kennedy of his 34 minute 5 second dip in the sea punctuated with sea ice in -5°C air and -1°C wind chill. “It was a very tough swim, but I felt strong in the 2°C water with a little head wind on part of the swim. The recovery was very strong [taking] approximately 10 minutes in the recovery shower room.”

But he was not the only one would successfully completed the challenge of a Polar Ice Mile en route to Murmansk: Rory Fitzgerald, Pakie Bolster, and Kate Steels also joined a very exclusive group of ice swimmers.

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