Sarah Thomas
AN ICE MILE CAN BE A GLORIOUS ADRENALINE RUSH. IT CAN ALSO BE A TERRIFYING ADVENTURE INTO HYPOTHERMIA
Sarah completing her ice mile in 2015
When you first step into water below 5ºC/41ºF, every part of your body screams at you to stop. The water burns your skin, like millions of needles pricking you simultaneously. Your heart rate increases. Breathing becomes a conscious effort to control. Even as you wade deeper into the water, every instinct tells you to turn around and exit the water immediately. The blackness of a panic attack lingers on the edge of your vision.