A FORMER Crickhowell High School pupil has been selected to take part in the International Ice Swimming Association (IISA) World Championships in Murmansk next month.

Heidi Brice, from Llangynidr, is a 22-year-old Geology student at the University of Bristol but manages to fit in hours of swimming practice in the lakes in the Brecon Beacons near her home and, when she’s studying, in Clevedon Marine Lake.

To be classed as ice swimming the water in competitions has to be below 5 degrees Celsius and only a single swimming costume, hat and goggles can be worn under IISA rules.

Heidi found her way into ice swimming after her mum, Viki, had taken part in the sport for several years. She had taken part in open water events before but had never competed without a wetsuit on.

In her first year as an ice swimmer, Heidi made the podium in a World Cup event in Poland where the water temperature was a close to freezing 1.6 degrees C. Later that year she also came second in her age group at the British Ice Swimming Championships which were held in Loch Lomond in Scotland (and was 5th woman overall).

Since then she has competed in the 2018 and 2019 British Championships, winning her age group both times and ranking 3rd woman overall.

Last month Heidi also completed an Ice Mile in 4 degrees C water, which she describes as “my biggest achievement ice swimming to date”.

She added: “I am one of the youngest to have completed this distance (1680 metres) worldwide, with less than 300 people having completed one (less than the number of people who’ve swam the Channel). Me and my mum were also the first ever mother-daughter pair to complete this challenge.”

Heidi said finding ice swimming was a huge source of emotional support for her after a difficult first year at university.

“Having decided to take a year out from university, I felt very low and wasn’t sure where I was going with my life. As soon as I started winter swimming my outlook completely changed, it gave me a sense of achievement and belonging which I had lost. I now look on my year out of university as the best decision I have ever made, and ice swimming is a big reason for this.”

She says part of this is because the ice swimming fraternity is “as cheesy as it sounds, like one big family”. “We all stand on the side questioning why we do this together, but all get out smiling and then move on to shivering and looking after each other afterwards, it’s what makes it fun.”

Completing the Ice Mile and being one of the top five fastest women in the UK has led to Heidi being selected for the British team in Murmansk in Russia at the world championships from March 14-17.

She says because of the extreme nature of the event – where the water temperature is around 0.5 degrees C and the air temperature -20 degrees C – she needed to have experience of swimming in water below 2 degrees.

Since qualifying for the event at the British Championships in Hatfield in January, Heidi has been “all over the country chasing cold waters to train in, as well as using ice baths in my university swimming pool as an additional way to acclimatise. I am the youngest member of the GB team, and the BBC are following my journey to Russia alongside three other GB team members.

“Unfortunately as it’s such a new sport there is no funding for us to go to Murmansk. This has meant that I have to self-fund all of the costs, including travel, kit, accommodation, visas and training weekends amongst other things. The costs have added up very quickly, and it has become impossible for me as a student to fund myself.”

So with just a few weeks to go Heidi has set up a crowdfunding page. Anyone who donates will be entered into a draw to win prizes such as Bristol Gin, a KitBrix bag and tickets to see Only Fools and Horses the Musical. To help Heidi reach her £1,200 target go to https://www.gofundme.com/heidi-brrr-ice-swimmer-gb