Jerrie Roberts: why I swim

73-year-old Jerrie holds the Guinness World Record for the oldest person to swim an ice mile

How long have you been open water swimming?

I have always had an affinity with the sea. In my 20s I sailed the Atlantic in a trimaran with no engine and cruised around the Caribbean for five years. Back in England I moved to the south west coast, where I met triathlon coach Pete Wilby, who’s a passionate open water swimmer. He encouraged me to swim in open water events. I have now been open water swimming for nine years.

How long have you been winter swimming?

For around eight years. Swimming all year round within nature is so joyful. I started with a wetsuit, building up time and distance in the water each year, but for the last three years I’ve abandoned the wetsuit altogether.

Why did you want to do an ice mile?

My swim buddy thought it would be a great idea to train for an ice mile. I was game! Little did we realise the extent of the discipline, tenacity and strength of mind and body that is required to achieve an ice mile.

How long did you train for the ice mile?

It took three winters training in total, increasing distance and time in the water. However, each winter I was ready, but either the water temperature was not cold enough, the venue was snowed in, or they had no capacity for me to swim. Even after seeking places to swim an ice mile abroad, nothing came to fruition. The frustration of training in icy waters from November to the end of March and not having the opportunity to perform was mentally demoralising and physically exhausting.

This winter I thought the only option was to go to Scotland where colder weather would hopefully be guaranteed. It worked, thank goodness, even though I never thought it would work out so incredibly well!

Tell us about your swim.

Loch Morlich was 2.6°C on the day! I wasn’t expecting it to be that cold, so I felt anxious that I might not achieve the ice mile. I was calm until a few minutes before my swim, when my swim buddy Selene was pulled from the water, aborting her ice mile due to hypothermia. It was a worrying and unsettling situation to witness. Then my name was called to start my ice mile! I managed to contain my thoughts. I swam and was in awe of my surroundings.

Halfway I thought ‘I’m feeling really cold… this is too soon’. I looked at my watch and couldn’t believe the length of time… the cold was slowing me down. This would be the longest time for me ever in these icy conditions. The brutality of the coldness on my body and the bitter cold sensation inside my chest took my mind away at times. I put my belief in the crew that they would rescue me if things looked wrong, so I just kept swimming.

I think I zoned out in the last few minutes, just swimming and functioning automatically. It is hard to believe my success, having been in that loch in 2.6°C water with air temperature of -1. 5°C for nearly 55 minutes.

An ice mile at any age is a huge achievement – at 73 it is inspirational. What next for you?

It is a mega achievement and I am so proud of myself to have persisted and held the belief. I have booked to swim Ullswater this year. I also love summer endurance swims and I would like to increase my current swim distance of 22.5km. It would be awesome to join a two or three person channel relay swim, so if anyone out there needs a swimmer I’d love to hear from them!

Follow Jerrie’s adventures on Instagram @jerriemermaid