Finding peace with a sunrise swim - Jane's Icebreaker

Alice Du Port, Community & Events Executive

22.09.2022

Jane took part in Icebreaker in 2022, and set herself a challenge after joining a swimming club.

"At the beginning of the year, following a swim on New Year’s Day with the Herts Swim Buddies, I decided I would try to swim in cold water more often but hadn’t really set myself a challenge.

I decided to visit the local nature reserve in which is the source of the River Oughton, a chalk river. As it wends its way from the source, is widens at an area called the Chalky with easy access for cooling off in the summer for the locals - not necessarily somewhere to dip in the winter! The water is a constantly cool temperature of between 8-11 C, pretty chilly. I survived day two and was invigorated to continue.

On day three, a friend joined me for her first cold water swim, which she really enjoyed! She sent me a link to Crisis Icebreaker Challenge… and so it began.

From then on, I dipped in cold water every day for the rest of the month, with a stint under a cold shower from day 5-13 as I had tested positive for Covid. I overcame many personal challenges, such as swimming alone in the dark in the early morning, either in the Chalky or in the sea, as I travelled for my job around the county. 

Friends and family joined me along the way and a local photographer got up early too to take shots of us at sunrise.

I am mostly thankful to all who sponsored me, some of whom I still don’t know, but who followed my journey on Instagram. I hope I was able to make at least one person’s life more bearable.

I also found it the most positively, mindful experience and a way to calm my busy head. All I could do as I entered the water was to focus on my breathing, how my body reacted to the water and to the wildlife around me. I will definitely be doing it again next year!"

Photo credit: Alexa Loy  Instagram @alexa_loy