Sadly, I just found out about the Winter Swimming World Championships in Latvia in January. I'd love to not only swim in the championships, but I'd like to see them. Even worse, Riga is only an 1:45 from me now. Unfortunately, registration is closed, and the next championships isn't until 2014, when I'll be way more than two hours from Latvia.
Reading through the crazy peoples' blogs about ice swimming, I figured there'd be a couple dozen people signed up. Nope. Way more than that. Substantially more than that! Over 1400 people are competing. Incredible. Now I really wish I'd heard about this in November.
There are many events, and you can sign up for as many as you want. From simply dipping in the barely-above freezing water to doing the "endurance" freestyle swim event: 450 meters in icy-cold water! You can do some events freestyle, if you're experienced. If you're new, you can do breast-stroke for 25 or 50 meters, but the crown of your head must be above the water at all times. You can also do relays.
Reading further, it seems advisable that if you're going to swim free, you should wear ear plugs and a serious cap. All swimmers, actually, must wear a cap of some sort. And some swimmers on the websites are wearing wool stocking caps. And no gloves or booties. No wetsuits, no suits of neoprene.
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