ICE Hall of Fame - Honoree

Open Water Swimming Highlights

• He serves as the International Ice Swimming Association Para Committee chairperson.
• In September 2023, he became the first amputee to swim across the 35 km North Channel between Northern Ireland and Scotland, finishing in 15 hours 24 minutes at the age of 51 for which he set a Guinness World Record.
• On 15 January 2023, he participated in the 4x250m mixed freestyle relay at the IISA 5th World Championship in Samoëns, France together with Patricia Heffernan, Tina Deeken, and Nicola Doran.
• He was a member of Team Bits Missing, a 5-person disabled channel swimming relaythat crossed the 35 km North Channel from Donaghadee in Northern Ireland to Portpatrick, Scotland on 21-22 June 2022 with David Burke of Newry, Northern Ireland, Andrew Smith of Nottinghamshire, England, Mary Clewlow of Cardiff, Wales, and Kate Sunley of Stockton-on-Tees, England in 15 hours 8 minutes 13 seconds with Kate Steelsas the observer.
• On 22 August 2022, he completed a 17 km crossing of Windermere in the Lake District of England in 6 hours 42 minutes in 18°C water with observer Leon Fryer.
• To kickoff the Para V in October 2022, he completed his Para V in 5 days by swimming five 5 km open water swims in Northern Ireland, Scotland, England, Wales and Dover.
• He is certified as an IISA Official Observer L1 as of 1 March 2022.
• He became the first disabled person to complete an Ice Mile. He completed an ice mileon 19 January 2014 in 4.86°C water + 6.50°C air for 1.41 miles in 58:54.
• He is a member of the board of directors of the International Ice Swimming Association.
• He serves on the selection panel of the Ice Swimming Hall of Fame.
• He created the concept of the Para Five. The Para Five is a group of any 5 open water swims over 1 mile (1.6 km) that has been completed by individuals who are physically or mentally disabled. The Para Five includes any 5 different open water swims in any part of the world including those in Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe and Oceania.
• He competed in the Ice Kilometer at the 4rd International Ice Swimming Association World Championship held in Murmansk, Russia in March 2019.

He wrote a story for Swimming With Shivers, a book co-authored by Claire Bunker-Fellingham and Gary Standen about true stories from, by and about open water swimmers doing cold water swimming, winter swimming, and ice swimming.

Jonty Warneken Links

• Openwaterpedia
• IISA BIO