Elina Mäkinen Becomes Newest Ice Ironwoman
Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California. Elina Mäkinen of Finland has enjoyed a highly successful winter swimming and ice swimming career competing at the International Winter Swimming World Cup and the International Ice Swimming Association World Championships and earning medals in the Ice Kilometer races and shorter races from 50m to 100m.
In January 2017, she completed an Ice Mile in Northern Ireland in 2.03°C water temperature in 26 minutes 19 seconds. This weekend, she completed a full Ironman triathlon and became the newest Ice Ironwoman.
During her full triathlon, she faced 15°C water, rain, a thunderstorm, and a marathon run in 27°C heat over 13 hours 4 minutes.
Friend and fellow competitor Jaimie Monahan said of her recent exploit, “Elina is one of the toughest, fiercest athletes I know while always being fun, gracious and incredibly humble.”
An Ice Ironwoman is an extreme athlete who has completed both an Ice Mile and a full Ironman triathlon. It is an exclusive club that includes Conny Prasser (Germany), Claire Bustin-Mulkern (UK), Kellie Joyce Latimer (USA), Jaimie Monahan (USA), Corinna Nolan (Ireland), and Mäkinen.
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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.
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