Courtesy of Ram Barkai, International Ice Swimming Association.
Between completing marathon swims around the world and working full-time in New York City, Jaimie Monahan became the first person in history to complete the Ice Sevens.
“What is remarkable is that Jaimie accomplished this ice swimming feat a little more than a year after the concept was first proposed in April 2016 [see here],” said Steven Munatones. “It requires a lot of operational planning and an almost flawless execution of logistics in addition to the physiological talents that Jaimie has constantly demonstrated during her career.
The Ice Sevens is the ice swimming equivalent of the Oceans Seven. To achieve the Ice Sevens, a swimmer must complete an ice mile under standard ice swimming rules (i.e., no wetsuit and no neoprene hat) in the following locations ratified or recognized by the International Ice Swimming Association:
o An Ice Mile swum below 5ºC (41ºF) in any location in Europe
o An Ice Mile swum below 5ºC (41ºF) in any location in Oceania
o An Ice Mile swum below 5ºC (41ºF) in any location in Asia
o An Ice Mile swum below 5ºC (41ºF) in any location in North America
o An Ice Mile swum below 5ºC (41ºF) in any location in Africa
o An Ice Mile swum below 5ºC (41ºF) in any location in South America
o An Ice Mile swum below 5ºC (41ºF) in any Polar location at 60º south or below or 70º north or above
o One of the seven Ice Miles must be a documented Zero Ice Mile (defined as a solo mile swim performed at below 1ºC)“
Ram Barkai of the International Ice Swimming Association confirmed her achievement. “Jaimie completed seven Ice Miles in just over a year in water below 5ºC (41ºF) in Europe, Oceania, Asia (including Russia), North America, South America, as well as a Polar Ice Mile at or below 60º South latitude or above 70º North latitude. As an additional challenge, one of the seven ice miles must be a documented Zero Ice Mile (defined as a solo mile swim performed at or below 1ºC).
This quest took Jaimie and her team around the globe to some of the world’s most stunning and extreme landscapes. This journey started in 2016 in beautiful Iceland, continued to a frozen lake in Siberia where she became the world’s first female Ice Zero swimmer under International Ice Swimming Association during the Tyumen Open Cup. In 2017, she faced altitude along with cold in Morocco’s scenic Atlas Mountains, then continued to Norway above the Arctic Circle for a Polar Ice Mile on Ger Kennedy’s Norway expedition.
After the Arctic Circle, she returned to home waters to complete a fifth Ice Mile in Boston, Massachusetts with the International Ice Swimming Association USA. For Ice Mile number six, she dodged icebergs in New Zealand’s beautiful Tasman Glacier Lake, and for the seventh and final mile, she enjoyed perfect conditions amidst snow-capped mountains in Argentine Patagonia in the Beagle Channel’s storied waters.
This personal quest encompassed a series of massive logistical, physiological, and psychological challenges. An Ice Mile is considered as one of the most extreme and challenging swimming challenges. You are now officially an Ice Sevens – Ice Swimmer.”
#1 in Europe on April 2nd 2016 in Reykjavík, Iceland in 3.70°C water (3°C wind chill + 5.6°C air) in 35 minutes 0 seconds in the sea with 12 km/hr wind speed
#2 in Asia (Ice Zero Mile) on December 18th 2016 in Tyumen, Russia in -0.03°C water (-31°C wind chill + air) in 30:20 in an ice pool cut into a frozen lake
#3 in Africa on February 13th 2017 in Aguelmame Sidi Ali Lake, Morocco in 4.9°C water (-0.5°C wind chill + 3°C air) in 32:18 in a mountain lake with 14 km/hr wind speed
#4 within the Arctic Circle on March 4th 2017 in Mikkelvik Brygge, Karlsøy, Norway in 2.37°C water (-3.5°C air) in 32:09 in the sea with 4 km/hr wind speed
#5 in North America on March 9th 2017 at M Street Beach, Boston, USA in 4.63°C water (6.1°C wind chill + 9°C air) in 26:16 in the sea with 20 km/hr wind speed
#6 in Oceania on May 15th 2017 in Tasman Lake, Aoraki Mt. Cook, New Zealand in 2.37°C water (14°C air) in 26:44 in a glacier lake
#7 in South America on July 2nd 2017 in Ushuaia, Argentina in 4.76°C water (5.9°C air) in 29:05 in the Beagle Channel
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