Jumping into a freezing cold swimming pool on a chilly morning in January may not be everyone’s idea of a perfect start to their weekend, but for Wycombe swimmers Andrew Allam and Andrew Lane it’s exactly what they opted for when they signed up to compete in the Cold Water Championships.

The pair, who are Masters at Wycombe District Swimming Club, were amongst 650-odd swimmers who put their names down to plunge into water which registered a cool 3C on the thermometer at Tooting Bec Lido leisure centre in south London on January 23.

This is no ordinary swimming gala as competitors dressed in a smoking dragon costume and the swimmer who raced with a dalek upon his head will testify as they recover from their piercingly cold dips with a few minutes in the hot tubs and saunas which lie metres away from the pool.

Swimmers came from across Europe to compete in the sixth edition of the bi-annual championships, with many of them giving cold water swimming a try for the first time.

Lane was among the event’s debutants and he revealed just how challenging the sport is.

He said: “It’s great fun until you’re standing there ready to go then it becomes serious. It was 3C, they’d broken the ice off it the day before and fortunately there was no ice on it that day.

“I can tell you now that it was so cold that you couldn’t feel anything. You have to immerse yourself down so that your shoulders are under the water, and then when everyone’s ready they count the off and it’s basically a mad dash to the other side.

“Oddly, despite the fact it was just above freezing, once you get out you just don’t feel cold at all you feel invigorated. The first time in was a real shock to the system. I tried acclimatising by having a few cold showers before the event, but a cold shower is not comparable at all.”

Swimmers of all abilities and ages attend the event at which 115 races were scheduled and were swum in front of a sell-out crowd.

Allam took gold in the men’s 30m freestyle for competitors aged 40-49 while Lane was just pipped to first place in the 30m breaststroke for those aged 50-59.

Whilst he was not sporting a hat as extravagant as some of those on show in south London, Lane still encountered problems with his own headpiece which cost him his chance of gold.

“I wore my wife’s furry hat and what I hadn’t really thought was that in the final I probably should have taken it more seriously and worn a proper swimming cap like all the others did,” he explained.

“As I set-off I went a bit too vigorously which dislodged the hat so I had to re-adjust it. As a result I had to adjust that and it cost me first place so I came in with a silver medal unfortunately.”

And the WDSC swimmer also encouraged anyone thinking of subjecting themselves to such conditions to give it a try and to compete alongside him when the championships next come around.

“I would definitely do it again it was such good fun and I would encourage anyone else to have a go as well. You’ve got to try these things at least once.

“It might not be something I do every weekend but I feel duty bound to go back and try and win next year.”