Ice swimmer Cath Pendleton, who is sponsored by Source Insurance, has added another first to her list of achievements.
Pendleton, from Sennybridge, near Brecon in Wales, was the first Welsh woman to complete an ice mile, has swum the English Channel and represented Team GB at the IISA World Championships and Arctic Cup in Murmansk, Russia.
She has now become the first person to ever swim an ‘ice mile’ inside the Antarctic polar circle. The eight-day voyage to the swim location saw storms and melting icebergs, with the swim almost being aborted due to a pod of hunting orcas and leopard seals
She said: “The day of the swim was a rollercoaster of emotions; excitement, fear, adrenalin. To say I’m over the moon at achieving this is an understatement… I hope my world first will empower others to try new things and never stop believing that anything is possible.”
Antarctica 2020 swim expedition leader, Ger Kennedy, added: “What Cath has achieved today is a world first. To witness her becoming the first person to swim a mile inside the Antarctic polar circle was a wonderful moment.
“The breath-taking wilderness of Antarctica is a hostile environment and Cath’s amazing achievement is testament to her grit and determination.”
You can see her training for and completing the swim, in a documentary on BBC One on Monday 14 December at 7:30pm.
To train her body to withstand sub-zero temperatures Pendleton has modified a freezer, situated at the bottom of her garden in her ‘ice palace’, that she sits in for up to 15 minutes at a time.
Tania Frowen, managing director of Source Insurance, added: “Cath is an exceptional woman who never fails to amaze and inspire people. To achieve a world first is an incredible feat. Cath’s spirit and positive vibes are infectious and we are proud to sponsor her.”