A swimmer from Knaresborough is one of four locals warming up to represent their country at the world ice swimming championships this week.
Jacqui Hargrave – known as Open Water Woman – is part of a team of four from the Harrogate district competing in the event.
Millie Bell, Emily Smailes and Jonty Warneken will also be taking part in the contest from January 12 to 15 in the French Alps.
The team face water temperatures as low as 2C when they compete against 500 athletes from around the world.
Jacqui will be competing in the 50m and 100m categories and has been in training with the team in Doncaster. She said:
“There’s very strict rules. You can’t dive in head first because it’s so cold you could die.
“It can be dangerous.”
Her sprint race may only last a couple of minutes, but it is still important that Jacqui takes the cold seriously and warms back up gradually.
She uses a hot drink and hot water bottle to help her recover, before taking a warm shower about an hour later. She added:
“There is one person that is there for you, to put your clothes back on and take you inside to see the medical team.”
The team was given a major boost recently when adventurer and Chief Scout Bear Grylls, whose sister Lara is also in the squad, stopped by for a training session.
He posted about the experience on his Twitter account:
Great to swim today with some of the ice swimming GB team! What they’re doing takes courage and determination, and I’m so proud of my sister Lara who is swimming next month in the world ice championships – you’re going to smash it! pic.twitter.com/87K16vIc3E
— Bear Grylls OBE (@BearGrylls) December 27, 2022
Always a keen athlete, Jacqui only began open water swimming 12 years ago after problems with her hips preventing her from running.
She first tried swimming with her friend Andrea and said:
“That was it, we fell in love with it.”
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