Consider the joy of cold-water swimming

Sunrise over Sunset Lake on Sept. 9. (Photo by Bob McCarthy)

By Vicki Browne
Iron County Lakes & Streams Partnership (ICLSP)
Labor Day weekend was a glorious farewell to summer. On lakes around the county, docks are now being pulled in and watercraft are headed for winter storage. It will hopefully be a few months before the lakes ice up so don’t pack that swimsuit away quite yet.
Tim Moss is a self-proclaimed British adventurer who touts the benefits of cold-water swimming. On his blog ‘The Next Challenge’, Moss writes that the shock of cold-water immersion gets blood pumping, burns calories, stimulates the parasympathetic system (the system that controls rest and repair), creates a natural ‘high’ through the release of endorphins and boosts the immune system. 
Moss says that cold-water swimmers are often thought of as “athletic, youthful and toned with good complexions and lots of energy,” — even if, as Moss says, they might also be considered “crazy.” 
Tim Novak, who owns Bigari Ace Hardware and John Archocosky, former Iron River city manager, are two Iron County residents who enjoy a cold swim. 
Archocosky started swimming mornings and evenings when he was working as a quick way to cool off. It became a personal challenge to see how long he could keep doing it. When the lake neared 50ºF, his swims were three to four minutes in duration, and below that became just a quick dip.
Archocosky said the latest in the season he’s swam was Dec. 8, almost 15 years ago he estimates. He remembers that the lake iced up the very next morning. 
“I tried to take my usual dunk in the lake on Dec. 9,” said Archocosky. “It was very dark outside and when I tried to step in, I realized the ice had already formed along the shoreline.”
The earliest Novak has been in the water was March 20, 2012. Just after ice-out, on that sunny 70º day, Novak dove into water that was just above 40ºF and took his first swim of the ‘summer’.
Novak said a friend told him, “If you live on the lake, you should take advantage of it.” 
Novak decided to swim as long into the fall as possible with the goal of making it to his dad’s birthday, Sept. 26. He said there were years when he didn’t quite hit the goal, but other years when swimming from his home to the big rock in Sunset Lake happened deep into October.
“As long as my stroke felt good, I swam,” Novak said. “I enjoy it.”
A review of 104 research studies completed by the UiT Arctic University of Norway found significant physical and mental health benefits to cold water swimming and cold water therapies. Referencing that research, health writer and former science and medicine editor for the Atlanta, Nick Tate writes in a WebMD post that cold water immersion triggers a shock response that stresses the system similar to high-intensity exercise. Tate notes that the Norway metastudy found links to reduced cholesterol, speedier recovery from sports injuries and autoimmune inflammations, better mental health and improved circulation.
James Mercer, a thermal physiology specialist from UiT who worked on the study, told Tate: “It’s very rarely that you’ll meet a cold-water swimmer who thinks it’s a negative activity. They all swear by it.”
The National Institutes of Health also did a review of the literature on cold-water swimming, highlighting both its benefits and risks. Hypothermia, arrhythmia  and cold shock were the biggest concerns. Hypothermia occurs when the body loses heat faster than it can be produced. Arrhythmia occurs when electrical impulses in the heart don’t work properly. Cold shock can cause dramatic changes in breathing, heart rate and blood pressure.
“Cold-water and ice swimming require preparation, acclimatization and more importantly cold water-immersion experience,” the study reads, “and should be undertaken only with appropriate supervision in order to avoid injury or death.”
Our local swimmers, Novak and Archocosky, kept a continuous swim routine from summer (or even spring) into fall. This gradual process, along with a good bill of health from a doctor, seems to be the right approach for garnering all the benefits of cold water swimming without incurring the significant risks.
Since 2009, the International Ice Swimming Association has been recording data about people who have completed the Ice Mile challenge. For this one-mile swim the water must be 41ºF or below; the swimmer can only wear a swimsuit, bathing cap and goggles (no wetsuit or fins); and must be witnessed by another person. 
A review of 2022-2023 certified Ice Milers yielded no Iron County swimmers. While an Ice Mile might not be a reasonable goal, the potential benefits from continuing to swim are considerable. So go jump in the lake and swim for the joy of it.