Hundreds weather cold for Minnesota’s first ice swim

Sharon Prahl was 21 when death nearly took her. She was biking cross-country with a friend in 1986 when she hit a rough patch and flipped her bike, fracturing her skull and injuring her spine.

In the decades since, Prahl — now a chiropractor — has endured chronic pain. But she felt her health improve when she discovered plunging into cold water.

That’s why Prahl, 59, was joined Saturday by an Olympian, a world record holder and dozens of swimmers at Lake Johanna in Arden Hills for the first Minnesota Ice Swim.

Nick Tamble and others began planning the competition last August, hoping to have it recognized by the International Ice Swimming Association with the goal of eventually making ice swimming an Olympic event.

Tamble said Saturday’s competition drew people from across the nation, including California, Florida and Maine.

“There’s only one other place that does this in the U.S., and it’s in Vermont,” Tamble said. “The first three years, they had 40 swimmers. We opened up registration January 22, and we sold 100 swims in 20 days.”

At least 200 people gathered for the swim at Lake Johanna, where volunteers sawed away blocks of ice, using excavators to haul pieces weighing up to 1,900 pounds. Swimmers dipped into 35-degree water as “Ice Ice Baby” by Vanilla Ice boomed from nearby speakers.

Before Prahl competed in her 25-meter race, Olympics swimmer Cody Miller took to the water. Miller, who won gold and bronze medals the 2016 Games, said ice swimming has grown popular in recent years, thanks to more research and awareness. He said he took ice baths in college to prepare for the Olympics.

“This will be exciting [and] open people’s eyes to a whole new sport they never knew about, and hopefully get some exciting events happening in the Twin Cities,” Miller said.

Ice swimming, he said, “has some pretty strong neurological effects ... so it’s not just crazy people getting in ice water.”

Sarah Spiegle would agree. She’s dipped in frigid water for around three years, recruiting others from her gym to join her. Shivering as she rose from the water Saturday, Spiegle said the benefits of ice water outweigh the cold.

“For me, it was really helpful mentally,” Carla Ferrucci said. “I don’t know why, but every time I leave here I feel happy in a way that I don’t always.”

For Prahl, Saturday’s race represents a new chapter for her health, which she said improved dramatically after she started cold water plunges last year. She hopes the event introduces those same benefits to others.

“We’re planting seeds for people so they don’t have to be afraid of winter. They don’t have to be afraid of cold,“ Prahl said.

”They can get healthier. They can get better circulation for life, less pain for life, and actually heal from crap that nobody has been able to help with. That’s why I’m all in.”