Bear Grylls's sister Lara to swim for Team GB in ice contest

Elder sister Lara - who lives near York - is set to take on her own extreme challenge when she represents Great Britain in an international ice swimming contest next month.

Lara could be competing in water temperatures as low as 2C - in just her standard swimming costume.

Readers may recall how in February 2021 Lara took on a charity challenge to swim for for five minutes, three times per week, in freezing water for a month and raised thousands of pounds for The Archbishop of York Youth Trust.

Well Lara, 56, has donned her swimming costume again and is ready to face a whole new extreme cold challenge.

The York mum-of-three who runs her own PR company has been selected to represent Great Britain in the International Ice Swimming Association's 5th World Championships which will take place between January 11-15 at the Lac aux Dames in Samoens in the French Alps.

Competitors will battle it out in a series of 50 and 100-metre swimming races in open, cold water, at least 5C or below, wearing just their standard swimwear, silicon cap and goggles.

Lara said she has tunnel vision and is training hard, hoping to get at least a place if not break a record.

Lara is training for the Ice Swimming World Championships

She told The Press: "I've been training in the river at Boston Spa and the outdoor lido pool near Wetherby, which allows you to properly put your head under water and get fast.

"I've never been fast swimmer and swimming fast in cold water is taking it to a different level."

Lara will be part of a team of more than 20 British swimmers taking part in the world championships - and one of four Yorkshire competitors.

She will be competing in the 50m and 100m breaststroke events for the age group 56-59 - and is hoping to do well.

She said: "I doubt I will break a record but it would be great to get a place - and if GB could win, that would be great!"

Lara Fawcett with her brother Bear Grylls

Lara said this type of cold-water swimming was a huge step up from her frosty dip challenge in February 2021.

"Cold-water swimming is medicinally very good for your health. You just need to dip in for two minutes then get out.

"But ice swimming is very different because we are racing fast in race conditions. So not only is your body getting used to the cold, you have to get in the water quickly then immediately swim fast. It puts your body under pressure because it's fighting against cold but also your heart is trying to get your body racing fast."

And she had this advice for people who want to take up cold-water swimming.

"Just do it somewhere safe - like a barrel in your garden or your bath. Two or three minutes in cold water is really good for your immune system.

"If want to take up proper cold-water swimming you need to go to a professional place."

She added: "For warming up afterwards - you want to have lots of warm kit, get changed as quickly as possible - and don't stay in too long because your body becomes immune tot he cold."

Another tip is not to wear a hat, socks or gloves because these parts of your body act as your inner thermometer and tell you when you have had enough.

Lara said: "When I did just the dips I always wore a woolly hat but your feet and hands are your thermometer; once your hand starts clawing it is time to get out."

This will be the first time Lara has represented her country in competitive sport. Her only other experience of sporting competition has been playing tennis - but her tennis, she says, has been put to one side as she puts all her efforts into her swim training.

Ice swimming - fact file

The International Ice Swimming Association (IISA) was formed in 2009 with a vision to make swimming in icy waters a new sport.

Ice swimming is an extreme sport with a clear set of rules.

Participants have to swim in water temperature of 5C (41.0F) or lower, unassisted, wearing one standard swimming costume, one pair of goggles, and one standard swimming silicon cap.

The Ice Mile is IISA's ultimate achievement - an ice mile is one mile or 1.6km.

In 2014, IISA introduced the Ice KM which became its competition distance.

IISA now covers all ice swimming distances from 50m to 1000m in all strokes for men, women, and disabled categories.

Ultimately, IISA believes ice swimming will evolve to become a Winter Olympics sport - and the first sport which will allow swimmers to compete in Winter and Summer Olympic Games in the same sport.

Find out more at: internationaliceswimming.com