IRELAND. Anne Marie Ward decided on short notice to do a short swim.
With the calm surface water at 4.5°C (40.1°C) and the water below at 3°C (37.4°C), Anne Marie approached it as a training swim under light rains and took off with her crew of Noel Brenann, Willie Sheridan and Ryan Ward.
Her time in the water was 30 minutes. “I was foundered (Irish for freezing). This time, I felt the difference between 6°C (on her last cold water swim) and today’s 4.5°C. My fingers and toes really were under pressure since the rain added to the chill. The crew was great and drove me on. I am all recovered now, though the recovery time slower than the previous swim.
With the air temperature was 6°C, this is another milestone and I am delighted now to be training for the Bering Strait in our Meeting of the Sun relay.”
Her Meeting of the Sun teammate in the Bering Strait, Nuala Moore, is anxious to join her. “I am planning to travel up at end of the month. The lowest we are getting down here is 5-6°C so Anne Marie will go again with me. It’s repeat immersions training for the Bering.”
Southern California native, born 1962, is the creator of the WOWSA Awards, Oceans Seven, Openwaterpedia, Citrus Corps, World Open Water Swimming Association, Daily News of Open Water Swimming, Global Open Water Swimming Conference. He is Chief Executive Officer of KAATSU Global and KAATSU Research Institute. Inductee in the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame (Honor Swimmer, Class of 2001) and Ice Swimming Hall of Fame (Honor Contributor - Media, Class of 2019), recipient of the International Swimming Hall of Fame's Poseidon Award (2016), International Swimming Hall of Fame's Irving Davids-Captain Roger Wheeler Memorial Award (2010), USA Swimming's Glen S. Hummer Award (2007, 2010) and Harvard University's John B. Imrie Award (1984). Served on the FINA Technical Open Water Swimming Committee and as Technical Delegate with the 2011 Special Olympics World Summer Games, and 9-time USA Swimming coaching staff. Note: WOWSA only recommends products or services used or recommended by the community. WOWSA does not receive compensation for links or products mentioned on this site or in blog posts. If it does, it will be indicated clearly on that specific post. See WOWSA's privacy policy for more information.