At the start of the winter season, we traditionally combine a working party, club trial and campfire. Club members and the public are invited to this “triathlon” on Friday 25 September 2015, meeting at the I. PKO clubhouse.
The working party starts at 16:00, the trial is planned for 18:00 and the campfire should be lit at 19:00. Join whichever part of the programme you wish. Read more…
On 26 June 2015 we held our traditional pre-holiday “triathlon”: a work party, a club trial and a campfire.
The work party was a relaxed affair. Our main tasks were to clean the well, saw up a fallen branch that had narrowly missed the clubhouse, mow the grass and clear out unused items inside. Brave Ota Zemek tackled the hardest and riskiest job: cleaning the well. He volunteered to climb down a ladder and stood waist-deep in water clearing the debris. Buckets brought up water, soil and dirt. Thoroughly chilled, he emerged after about an hour and went to wash in the Vltava. Apparently, the well water was no warmer than the river! Things look promising for the well: water is flowing into it. Read more…
We invite all cold-water swimmers and swimming enthusiasts to our traditional pre-summer “triathlon” on Friday 26 June 2015. The club trial is open to everyone, including the public. The Vltava is currently 13°C.
As agreed at our general meeting, we will begin with a working party at 16:00. Anyone interested can join the 750-metre club trial at 18:00, and our campfire, accompanied by Michal Kohoutek’s guitar, will be lit by 19:00 at the latest.
You are welcome to join any part of the programme. We look forward to seeing you.
Long-standing members of our club and others knew Miloš from the early days of winter and long-distance swimming. Everyone who attended the Alfred Nikodem Memorial may remember him as one of the organisers at the tip of Slovanský Island beside Prague’s National Theatre, where he regularly helped. Adélka Hrubešová, I. PKO Praha’s chronicler, shares some memories of our friend and one of the club’s kindest souls. Read more…
Beautiful sunshine, following a frosty morning, accompanied the world premiere of Kryathlon, the first true winter triathlon. Competitors swam 250 metres in the Vltava’s icy 3.2°C water, ran 2.5 kilometres and finished with 3 kilometres of cross-country skiing. Unexpectedly strong interest forced the organisers to close registration early. Fifty brave competitors took part. Who better to commentate than English Channel swimmer Stanislav Bartůšek? Read more…
Here we are! The season is in full swing. We have already completed fifteen races, held every Saturday around the Czech Republic in pools, rivers, lakes, ponds and reservoirs. We have tried it all: water below 2°C, 1,000 and 750 metres, and some of us even the ice mile. Today brings one of the highlights of the 2014–2015 season, the Czech Winter Swimming Championships in freestyle, in all categories, in Brno. We will see how well everyone has prepared. Read more…
Early this January, four members — Michal Štengl, Jan Koželuh, Roman Hujer and Josef Stolín — travelled to distant China on a cold-water swimming expedition. Michal not only did well in the competition; as editor-in-chief of a motoring magazine in his day job, he also put his journalistic instincts to use. His week in eastern China became a feature in Magazín MF DNES, issue 6, published on 12 February 2015. The report and photo galleries are below. Read more…
Updated with the PrahaTV report
Nearly two hundred swimmers took part in the thirteenth Braník Ice in Prague-Braník on Saturday 31 January. For the fourth time, it also served as the Ladislav Nicek Memorial. At the opening, swimmers and his son, Ladislav Nicek Jr, remembered “Laďa”, the elder statesman of Czechoslovak winter swimming, whose last swim with them had been at Braník Ice in 2011. With plenty of organisers and rescue personnel ensuring safety, everyone could walk upstream to their starting points immediately after the opening. The untimed 100 and 250 metres were completed in quick succession, and soon the timed 500-metre swimmers were finishing too. Read more…
The enthusiasm of Jack Bright and fellow club members will bear fruit on Sunday 1 February, the day after Braník Ice, with the first-ever Kryathlon. This is a true winter triathlon: a 250-metre winter swim, 2.5 km run and 5 km cross-country ski on the snow-covered Chuchle racecourse.
How did Kryathlon begin? Three years ago, we organised a tribute to Ladislav Nicek (Czech Television report). Richard Machálek, Jack Bright, Václav Pátek and Matěj Červený first swam with torches in the icy Vltava, then camped overnight at −17°C on the island opposite our clubhouse. Around the fire there, they first discussed a winter triathlon — now named Kryathlon. Read more…
On Sunday 4 January 2015, our traditional swimmers’ baptism took place in the Vltava beside the Braník clubhouse. Conditions exactly matched the previous year: water at 4.5°C, air at 4.0°C and no snow. The baptismal cup was locked in the office, so this year’s newcomers received a rather more intense welcome — a large bucket of water poured over their necks. There were 28 first-time baptisms, including the newcomers and visiting guests. Other longstanding members then renewed theirs by tradition. Finally, visitors dipped a finger in the offered bucket of Vltava water for good health throughout the year. Below are the names of the new swimmers and guests, and photos of the event. Read more…
