Elke Ortloff, Guinness World Record Holder

Courtesy of WOWSA, Volendam, Netherlands.

Elke Ortloff of Berlin, Germany is the oldest female to complete a certified Ice Mile under International Ice Swimming Association® regulations.

Born in 1953, she swam in an Ice Mile in 32 minutes 13 seconds in 4.97°C water in a freshwater pool in Volendam, Netherlands on January 18th at the age of 65 years 264 days.

Her first experience with a formal ice swimming competition was in January 2018 at the Ice Swimming German Open in Veitsbronn when she completed her first Ice Kilometer in 19:46:60 in 3.80°C water. A year later, she returned to the same competition and slightly improved her Ice Kilometer time to 19:26:00 despite the cold 1.40°C water and 2.00°C air temperatures. In March at the International Ice Swimming Association III World Championships in Murmansk, Russia, she finished her third Ice Kilometer in 19:30:00 in the coldest temperatures she has faced yet: 0.00°C water and -6.30°C air.

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