The "ice-mile" : Case study of 2 swimmers' selected physiological responses and performance

Kenny, John and Cullen, Sarahjane and Warrington, Giles D. (2017) The "ice-mile" : Case study of 2 swimmers' selected physiological responses and performance. International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, 12 (5). pp. 711-714. ISSN 1555-0265

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Abstract

Purpose: "Ice-mile" swimming presents significant physiological challenges and potential safety issues, but few data are available. This study examined deep body temperature (BT), respiratory rate (RR), and swim performance in 2 swimmers completing an ice-mile swim of 1 mile (1600 m) in water less than 5°C. Methods: Two male cold-water-habituated swimmers completed a 1-mile lake swim in 3.9°C water. For comparative purposes, they completed an indoor 1-mile swim in 28.1°C water. The Equivital physiological monitoring system was used to record BT and RR before, during, and after each swim. Total time to complete the swims and 400-m splits were recorded. Results: One swimmer became hypothermic after 27 min while swimming, reaching BT of 33.7°C at swim's end. On exiting the water the swimmers experienced large BT after-drops of -3.6°C and -2.4°C, reaching low points of 33.2°C and 31.3°C 38 and 23 min postswim, respectively. Respiratory rate and swim pace decreased over the course of the ice-mile swim for both swimmers. Swim pace for 1 swimmer declined sharply in the final 400-m lap of the ice mile when he was hypothermic. Both swimmers remained hypothermic 60 min postswim (34.2°C and 33.4°C). Conclusions: Ice-mile swimmers may become hypothermic while swimming, and the postswim BT after drop may expose them to dangerous levels of hypothermia. Pace and RR should be monitored as proxies for a swimmer's physiological state. Postswim recovery should also be monitored for hypothermia for at least 1 h.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	Publisher Copyright: © 2017 Human Kinetics, Inc.
Uncontrolled Keywords:	/dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/2700/2732
Departments or Groups:
Depositing User:	Admin SSL
Date Deposited:	19 Oct 2022 23:13
Last Modified:	04 Jul 2023 16:05
URI:	http://repository-testing.wit.ie/id/eprint/4710

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