And it happened, Lake Bled 1st winter swimming cup. On February 11, 2012 over 40 »extreme« winter swimmers jumped into around 3 degree C frozen beautiful Lake Bled (air temperature was -11C).
This year Slovenia has a cold winter and there is ice all around! There was no water on the horizon until the organisers dig out a large hole (30m × 12.5m-swimming length) which served as a our swimming venue.
Brave swimmers from 6 different countries were proud to swim and compete in two different races, 25 and 50 meters. Fans and crowds were cheering around and the sauna and spa were just few steps away.
Sarah from England writes her Channel swimming blog and she described the event in her own words: »The organisation was exceptional. The races ran on time. We were called and collected and treated like elite athletes. It is a beautiful country. I would like to go back one summer to swim when the weather is warm. I will certainly return next year for the Bled Winter Cup. «
We, Strel Swimming Adventures, a local summer swimming holiday tour operator, proudly sponsored this fantastic international event and will support it in the future as well. We believe this event will just get bigger and we hope to see you swimming next year!
Slovenian press coverage about the event: SIOL, Zurnal, 24UR TV, Times.SI
Sarah´s Blog (She is a member of Strel Swimming, see her pink hat in the picture)