Swimmer heads to international competitions
file photo
Mark Johnston
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POLSON — Polson resident and winter swimming national champion Mark Johnston is headed out of town for a two-week international journey of ice swimming.
The second annual United States Winter Swimming Championships takes place on Saturday, Jan. 30, in the Hudson River on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. While not an “ice” event, the water temperature will be hovering in the mid-30s, according to the meet director.
From New York City, Johnston will travel overseas to compete in the fifth Scandinavian Winter Swimming Cup in Skellefteå, Sweden on Feb. 14. Skellefteå lies approximately 50 miles south of the Arctic Circle, so it is certain to be an ice event where a 25-meter pool will be cut into the frozen surface of the Skellefte River. Recent air temperatures dipped to minus 38 degrees F with the wind chill.
Before leaving, Johnston met with the Tribal Council and renewed his endorsement to swim under the Salish Kootenai Flag in the two upcoming international winter swimming events.
“I am privileged to swim under the Flathead Nation flag,” Johnston said. “I feel a special connection to Flathead Lake, and it is an honor to be an ambassador for the area.”
Last year, in the inaugural United States Championship, Johnston won gold in two events and made the podium (top three) in two others. This year, he’s excited to defend his U.S. titles in New York City and then meet fellow crazy ice swimmers from Sweden and the rest of Europe, where 300 swimmers are expected. The races range from a short 25-meter sprint up to 450-meter distance race of about seven minutes in the freezing water.
“The races are exciting,” Johnston said, “but it’s the camaraderie of the fellow ice swimmers that keeps me coming back.”
Both events are part of the International Winter Swimming Association (IWSA) and make up an international winter swimming circuit that includes events in China, Russia, Finland, Latvia, the United Kingdom, and Argentina. This year, Johnston plans to only swim in the U.S. and Scandinavian championships.
