Qing Li Achieves Fastest Iron Icewoman Turnaround in History

Qing Li swam in the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico in Panama City Beach in November when she completed the Ironman Triathlon Florida.

Less than a month later on December 5th, she was swimming in4.13°C water at Ohio St. Beach in Chicago, Illinois where she completed an Ice Mile in 31 minutes 35 seconds.

“It is believed that the 31-year-old former sprint backstroker set the fastest turnaround time to become an Iron Icewoman (or Iron Iceman) in history,” observed Steven Munatones. “Qing did her Ironman in Florida and then went home and did her Ice Mile 29 days later. That is an incredible feat – being able to handle the high heat in November and the cold in December in such a short amount of time.”

But Li apparently knows no barriers. She has also achieved the Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming and the Grand Slam of Open Water Swimming with crossings of the 32.3 km Catalina Channel and 33.5 km English Channel with completion of the 45.9 km 20 Bridges Manhattan Island Swim around New York City and the 38.6 km Tampa Bay Marathon Swim in Florida.

She also serves as an advisor to GLOW (Great Lakes Open Water adventures) in Lake Ontario, competed in the 2020 Memphremagog Winter Swim Festival, and sports a really colorful jellyfish tattoo (photo above courtesy of APRoberson Photography).

As she states on her Instagram (@cha_qing), she is living a loud, vibrant, authentic life promoting balance, integrity, respect, and higher consciousness.

Iron Icewomen in History

• Kellie Joyce Latimer‪ (USA) on 14 December 2014
• ‪Jaimie Monahan‪ (USA) on 2 April 2016
• Claire Bustin-Mulkern‪ (UK) on 25 January 2017
• ‪Conny Prasser‪ (Germany) on 27 January 2017
• Corinna Nolan (Ireland) on 3 February 2018
• Elina Makinen (Finland) on 5 August 2018
• Erin Churchill (USA) on 14 December 2019
• Claudia Müller (Austria) on 19 January 2020
• Hanna Bakuniak (Poland) on 22 August 2020
• Anja Binder (Germany) on 9 August 2021
• Qing Li (USA) on 5 December 2021 (achieved within 29 days)

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Steven Munatones

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.

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