On Saturday 19 December 2015, the international River Labe CZ Ice Swim 2015 took place on the Labe in Hradec Králové under the auspices of the International Ice Swimming Association. Our I. PKO member Petr Šlajs took an excellent third place overall.
Competing in an international race
A total of 25 swimmers competed, twelve representing the Czech Republic. Everyone swam the same 1,000-metre distance. Ten countries from three continents were represented: the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Italy, Great Britain, Germany, Argentina, Austria, Denmark and even South Africa.
In the men’s race, Czech swimmer Rostislav Vítek of Brno finished first, Germany’s Christof Wandratsch second and our I. PKO Praha member Petr Šlajs won bronze. Although this is only Petr’s first winter swimming season, he performed superbly.
The first woman home was Lenka Štěrbová of Pardubice, followed by Argentina’s Victoria Mori and Renata Nováková, also of Pardubice.
Chief referee Radek Suchopa is a qualified international FINA official. The event was organised by Jiří Kuřina. Results are available at internationaliceswimming.com.
Jakub Valníček’s impressions
Here are the impressions of our I. PKO Praha member Jakub Valníček, who competed himself and finished a fine fifth. In his own words:
Preparing for River Labe CZ Ice Swim 2015
Three months ago, Jirka Kuřina contacted me to ask whether I could be the IISA official for his international one-kilometre race in the Labe on 19 December 2015. He said it would not commit me to anything, but he needed somebody. We agreed…
Jirka worked intensively on the preparations for three months. He achieved an enormous amount and invited some of the world’s best winter swimmers. Four of us represented our club: Jack Bright, Petr Šlajs, Thomas W. Kofler and Jakub Valníček.
Three heats
Swimmers raced in three groups according to ability and gender. One group recorded times of around twenty to thirty minutes. The course seemed much longer than at the one-kilometre Czech Cup race two weeks earlier, and the noticeably stronger current also took its toll. At the back of the field, England’s Jackie Cobell and Denmark’s Sinne Lundgaard fought for position, with Jackie winning by a touch. A legend of winter swimming, she crossed the English Channel in the world’s slowest time of 28 hours at the age of 56 in 2010: an exceptional feat of endurance. Although these women spent more than thirty minutes in the water, they warmed up without medical assistance. That could not be said of one Polish competitor, whom local rescuers lifted out after he finished and who recovered in an ambulance under medical supervision.
The second heat featured the leading women and a few other swimmers, including Josef Köberl of Austria. Times were noticeably faster: Lenka Štěrbová of Pardubice won in 14:59, followed by Argentina’s Victoria Mori and Renata Nováková, also of Pardubice.
The third heat featured swimming stars including Rostislav Vítek and Christof Wandratsch: long-distance swimmers who had crossed the English Channel in national record times. This was their first head-to-head race in ice or winter swimming. As expected, Rosťa won; he has a nine-year age advantage over Christof. Third place went to promising 25-year-old I. PKO Praha swimmer Petr Šlajs. Congratulations to the winners.
Participants included IISA president and founder Ram Barkai, and Italy’s Paolo Chiarino, famous for swimming the length of Lake Garda, 56 kilometres, in 23 hours — the only person in the world to have done so.
How the race felt
I was a little apprehensive beforehand: it had been a demanding week, I had slept badly and had a slight headache. The course seemed longer and the current made it difficult. Once I entered the water, all that fell away and I swam wonderfully. The water felt welcoming; afterwards I exercised and warmed up with hot tea. Dana Tomášková and Zuzka Pátková from I. PKO looked after me. I had no trouble warming up, and the tension in my head disappeared.
Results and thanks
The prize ceremony took place in the restaurant inside the TJ Sokol Hradec Králové building, where we also had lunch.
Thank you to Jirka Kuřina for excellent organisation, Zuzka Miškovská for medical care, Mayor Zdeněk Finka for his warm words, and everyone who ensured our safety and comfort during the race.
We are already looking forward to 17 December 2016: RIVER LABE CZ ICE SWIM 2016.
On Sunday we continue with a 1,000-metre swim in Vienna.
Jiří Kuřina’s photo gallery:
