Why we plunge: Chris Ballard explores the pull of cold water swimming

Lifelong athlete and award-winning writer Chris Ballard immersed himself in the world of cold water for his new book, The Plunge

Tell us about your book and why we will love it?

It’s the story of cold water swimming and those who love it, full of rich personalities, adventures and global communities. The book is the product of three years of reporting, from Finland to Ireland to England to Italy to the United States. I interviewed hundreds of people, from swimmers to scientists to polar plungers, and joined in myself, eventually representing the US national team at the IISA World Championships in Italy.

Swimmers will recognise many of the people in the book, from Adam Walker and Heather Massey in the UK to Lynne Cox and Elaine Howley in the US to South African Ram Barkai and his quixotic quest to get ice swimming into the Winter Olympics. But I was also interested in a larger question: Why does getting into cold water mean so much to so many people? So I spent time with groups like the Blue Mind Men and the Memphremagog crew, dug into the science and physical benefits of swimming, and embedded with a group chasing Ice Miles. Eventually I attempted an Ice Kilometre myself, curious about the how, why, and ultimate reward of pushing ourselves so far outside our comfort zones.

What is your relationship with swimming?

I’m a relative latecomer to this world. Growing up, I loved the water – lakes, rivers, streams – and in our family, when you saw a place to swim, you jumped in (naked in the case of my aging hippie father). But I wasn’t a swimmer swimmer. I played college basketball and ran track. Only in midlife, once my body began to break down, did I come to the water for real, building up endurance and swimming longer distances. I wish I’d done it sooner. I get into this in the book, but few sports age as well as swimming: low-impact, endlessly adaptable, and welcoming to almost everyone. So many open water swimmers I spoke to talked about the meditative aspect as well, that ability to enter a trance-like flow state. I relish that.

How does water inspire your writing?

Whenever I’m stuck while writing, I try to remind myself that the solution isn’t to sit at the keyboard longer – it’s to get away from it. So I’ll head to the coast for a swim under the gulls, or go into the hills with my dog for a hike. Chances are, by the time I get back, the problem has worked itself out.

Where is your favourite place to swim?

Here in the US, it’s hard to beat Lake Tahoe, vast and crystalline and ringed by mountains. But during the reporting I was also drawn to places where swimming is woven into the community: Blackrock in Galway, Windermere, Coney Island, and especially the canals of Copenhagen, where Danes pause on their morning bike commute, undress, take a quick dip or swim, then get dressed and carry on with their day.

The Plunge, published by Viking, is out now priced £22