Ice Kilometer World Championship In 2013 vs 2019
Courtesy of Nuala Moore, Murmansk, Russia.
396 ice swimmers qualified for the IISA 3rd World Championship in Murmansk, Russia.
The largest contingent in the third edition of the ice swimming world championships is from Russia with 251 swimmers followed by Great Britain (19 swimmers), China (15), Ireland (15), Germany (120, Poland (12), Czech Republic and South Africa (9 each), Austria and Netherlands (8), Belarus, USA and France (4 each), Argentina, Estonia and Ukraine (3 each), Finland, Hong Kong and Spain (2 each) and 1 each from Australia, and Bulgaria, Chile, Iceland, Italy, Mongolia, Morocco, New Zealand, Romania, Slovakia and Switzerland (1 each).
Nuala Moore recalls the start-up mentality of the rapidly emerging ice swimming community from the early years in the 2013 world championships in Murmansk, Russia to this year. “2013 was the first world championship event in Murmansk where the conditions were in 0°C water for the 1000m swim. Melissa O Reilly, Jackie Cobell, Natalia Seraya and I took on the distance of 1000m. There were only four of us – I completed in 23 minutes.
The four of us ladies was the FULL start line of the 1000m – we were terrified. Natalie did the full distance swimming breaststroke and with just a wooly hat and without goggles. The number of swimmers participating now are crazy – compared from 2013 to 2019 – and great to see.
Anne Marie [Ward] agreed not to compete in the 1000m Ice Kilometer and instead completed the 500m at 0°C so she would be finished and recovered in order to be poolside and could help me complete mine. We were so terrified beforehand.
I can still remember the emotions [at] the 700m mark, the counting of the lengths, and the nervousness poolside as the Russian females had never swam this distance before. The transfer to the sauna was up about 50 steps and they were moving us so fast – the [recovery] teams were fantastic.
But once Anne Marie was poolside, I knew I could push a little harder.
Our post-swim recovery was insane. I remember looking at Melissa O Reilly and Jackie Cobell in the sauna trying to figure out who they were and why I was here…it was my first-time experience.
Then one by one, the men started to come in. That was the craziest journey I had ever witnessed. I immediately jumped into action and started on the recovery. Henri Kaarma’s recovery was challenging all at the same time.
it was mind blowing trying to understand the recovery of the men while I was still recovering myself, but it was by far the best group of people and mostly the best learning experience I ever had. I loved the experience, but mostly loved the journey. We trusted ourselves and our teams.
Prior to 2013, there were only a few other ladies around the world such as Lynne Cox and Natalie who had ever completed an Ice Kilometer. It was crazy back then: all slow speeds of around 20+ minutes. I was by far the fastest woman back then at 22 – 23 minutes. Now, the numbers are mind-blowing fast.
The men were Ram Barkai, Kieron Palframan, Ryan Stramrood did an Ice Mile, Henri Kaarma did 2,150 meters, and Cristian Vergara and Aleksandr Brylin did 1,000 meters. That was it.”
Six years ago in 2013 when ice swimmers were fewer and speeds were slower.
The growth in the ice swimming community is evidenced with the large number of swimmers entered in this week’s Ice Kilometer race in Murmansk:
1000m Freestyle Female Start List:
Heat 1
2. Delibash Osman (27) Russia
3. Semenova Elena (58) Russia
4. Kharitonova Larisa (56) Russia
5. Sokolova Olga (40) Russia
6. Novotná Mirka (55) Czech Republic
7. Seray Natalia (53) Russia
Heat 2
2. Nekrasova Ekaterina (39) Russia
3. Ortloff Elke (66) Germany
4. King Deirdre (38) Ireland
5. Somers Julie-Ann (41) Ireland
6. Procházková Pavlína (55) Czech Republic
7. Guseva Elena (49) Russia
Heat 3
2. Hernandez Barbara (34) Chile
3. Henning Peggy (51) Germany
4. Pliessnig Yasmine (22) Austria
5. McFarland Caroline (49) Ireland
6. Startin Andrea (45) Great Britain
7. Pendleton Catherine (47) Great Britain
Heat 4
1. Wayman Debbie (57) Great Britain
2. Lascano-Micaz Ailén (28) Argentina
3. Monahan Jaimie (40) USA
4. Sigurjósdottir BirnaHrönn (47) Iceland
5. Whelpton Sam (34) South Africa
6. Steels Kate (50) Great Britain
7. Ovsyannikova Margarita (29) Russia
8. Šlehoverová Lenka (37) Czech Republic
Heat 5
1. Brice Heidi (23) Great Britain
2. Stenveld Margot (31) Netherlands
3. Saxon Caroline (28) Great Britain
4. Wijnker Kyra (21) Netherlands
5. Kopecká Nikola (18) Czech Republic
6. Stiemens Marcelle (52) South Africa
7. Perry Jade-Fern (37) Great Britain
8. Van der Laan Irene (59) Netherlands
Fastest 1000m Freestyle Heat Female
Heat 6
1. Mori Victoria (26) Argentina
2. Bednerek Aleksandra (21) Poland
3. Bakuniak Hanna (23) Poland
4. Fatum Alisa (24) Germany
5. Mäkinen Elina (26) Finland
6. Doran Ciara (19) Ireland
7. Nováková Renata (22) Czech Republic
8. Marion Joffle (20) France
1000m Freestyle Male Start List:
Heat 1
2. Slehtin Vadim (32) Russia
3. Wang Ren Feng (48) China
4. Kapeller Johannes (44) Austria
5. Svyatov Timofey (48) Russia
6. Bremner Mervyn (65) South Africa
7. Kitkov Andrey (40) Russia
Heat 2
2. Agarkov Andrey (55) Russia
3. Warneken Jonty (47) Great Britain
4. Haslauer David (24) Austria
5. Wang Yun Feng (56) China
6. Grzywa Marek (44) Poland
7. Fuzeau Alexandre (53) France
Heat 3
3. Brylin Alexandr (43) Russia
4. Wolber Rene (32) Austria
5. Wittwer Adrian-Alejandro (32) Switzerland
6. Mack Lars (44) Germany
7. Maydon Tom (39) South Africa
Heat 4
1. Guest Mark (50) Great Britain
2. Petshak Nickolay (64) Russia
3. Prokopchuk Grigory (50) Russia
4. Coe Jonathan (67) Great Britain
5. Kuchenmeister Martin (50) Germany
6. Kennedy Ger (50) Ireland
7. Neupokoev Yury (57) Russia
8. Coleman David (62) New Zealand
Heat 5
1. Bell Alistair (33) Great Britain
2. Zamyslov Andrey (46) Russia
3. Köberl Josef (42) Austria
4. Lutkowski Tomasz (44) Poland
5. Bond Paddy (40) Ireland
6. Chegorin Vladimir (56) Russia
7. Lindsay Colin (45) Great Britain
8. Maltsev Stanislav (31) Russia
Heat 6
1. Naziemiec Leszek (45) Poland
2. Lautman Scott (67) USA
3. Fedotov Sergey (30) Russia
4. Štengl Michal (41) Czech Republic
5. Bainov Pavel (33) Russia
6. Jung Stefan (55) Germany
7. Kassner Matthias (52) Germany
8. Dempsey Mark (44) Ireland
Heat 7
1. Corcoran Patrick (44) Ireland
2. Filatov Igor (45) Russia
3. Schilder Alexander (28) Netherlands
4. Golebiowski Remigiusz (43) Poland
5. Hopkins Neil (38) South Africa
6. Allen Charl (31) South Africa
7. Barkai Ram (62) South Africa
8. Pekárek Jaroslav (42) Czech Republic
Heat 8
1. Theodosis Charalampos (43) Greece
2. Myatt John (47) Great Britain
3. Biankowski Piotr (44) Poland
4. Kubiak Krzysztof (30) Poland
5. Chekushkin Oleg (56) Russia
6. Valnicek Jakub (49) Czech Republic
7. Chun Kong Mak (33) China
8. Ryan John (51) Ireland
Heat 9
1. Fitzgerald Rory (61) Great Britain
2. Oosterbaan Raymond (42) Netherlands
3. Runge Stefan (52) Germany
4. Leitch James (44) Great Britain
5. Kaarma Henri (45) Estonia
6. Petruňa Michal (46) Slovakia
7. Domeracki Rafał (37) Poland
Fastest 1000m Freestyle Heat Male
Heat 10
1. Dorin Georgescu Paul Eugen (41) Romania
2. Diego López Dominguez (38) Spain
3. Vladislav Sapozhikov (23) Russia
4. Petar Stoychev (43) Bulgaria
5. Christof Wandratsch (53) Germany
6. Hesterman Fergil (26) Netherlands
7. Šlajs Petr (29) Czech Republic
8. Sobirov Albert (41) Russia
For more information, visit www.murmanskiceswimming.ru.
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