In upper East Tennessee, pastor Don Winters of Sugar Grove Baptist Church in Butler is lovingly referred to by some family and friends as the “crazy preacher who swam the ice mile” or “the Watauga Lake lunatic.”
Winters takes it in stride but he has the last laugh. On Jan. 23, Winters became the oldest man in the world to swim an “ice mile” at the age of 66 and three months.
An ice mile is defined as “a one-mile swim under IISA (International Ice Swimming Association) rules in water temperature of 5 degrees Celsius (about 41 degrees Fahrenheit) or less wearing just a standard costume, goggles and one swim cap,” according to an article on The Outdoor Swimming Society website.
Winters completed the 1.03-mile swim in a time of 52:57 in 38-degree water and it has been documented by the IISA and the Guinness Book of World Records.
Yet, should that record be broken in the future, no one should expect him to reclaim it.
“It’s one and done. I won’t do it again,” Winters pledged, referring to himself as a “one-hit wonder. I want to quit while I’m ahead,” he added.
Avid
For several years Winters has been an avid swimmer. “I have always tried to exercise and stay in shape and eat healthy,” he said, adding that he also has tried to be “an advocate” for Christians to be more health-conscious.
Several years ago, he wanted to swim in cold water so he began testing to see how he did in cold water and how far into the winter season he could go. He had viewed online people doing “polar plunges” and people in New York in “Polar Bear Clubs” who would meet once a month to take a dip in the cold water.
Winters, who grew up in the Appalachian Mountains, recalled thinking, “If people up north can stand the cold, why can’t we do it. Mountain people are as tough a bunch as I have ever been around.”
About nine years ago he began swimming in Watauga Lake across from his church, and three years ago began swimming into the winter season. At first, he used a wet suit but then began to swim in bathing trunks. He began with a five to seven minute “dip” and worked up to 35 minutes.
He took precautions and studied the effects of hypothermia. He cautioned that swimming in extremely cold water is dangerous. When he did the ice mile on Jan. 23, a medical team was nearby in case he needed help.
Winters had heard about the “ice mile” and wanted to try it, but by the time his body was getting used to the cold temperature the water began warming up, he said.
“Last year I decided to give it another try since I was getting older and my joints were beginning to show signs of arthritis.” He began swimming three days a week regardless of the weather to develop a cold tolerance.
“About three months ago I came across the IISA website and saw the list of the oldest people in the world to complete the ice mile, and then the Guinness Book of World Records of the oldest man who was a few months younger than me. I decided it would be at least worthy of giving it a try (to break the record).”
‘Worth pursuing’
After going through an intensive process to get registered for an ice mile and to make arrangements for it to be documented, Winters did not plan to publicize his plans. His daughter, who had worked in college for a newspaper, contacted various local newspapers and news stations (unbeknownst to her dad) and let them know about the event.
Winters shared that the thought of media coverage made him nervous at first, but he began to realize that “since my entire life had been spent trying to lift up Jesus and to make Him known to the world, perhaps this could be an avenue that God would use to reach someone with the good news of Jesus Christ.”
He noted that he had been on the “road to destruction” before Christ came into his life.
“Who knows what will become of this (swimming the ice mile) but God has been so good to me and my wife (Lena) with our long journey that if I die tomorrow, I will have nothing but praise for the journey.
“My life was so radically altered when God pulled me back from the precipice of destruction and transformed my destiny to one of hope. Therefore, if I can know and make known the Savior of the world to as many people as I can until I see Him face to face, my life will be complete.”
‘For God’s glory’
He stressed that swimming the ice mile was not “a life goal or long-range plan” but just a personal achievement and a way to stay in shape.
“However, after I saw how close I was to breaking the record and becoming the oldest man to attempt this, then I thought that anything that would give me a platform to preach Jesus or share the truth of the gospel is worth pursuing,” Winters concluded.
Winters will continue to swim, but no more ice miles are in his future. “I accomplished what I wanted to do. Now, I will move on to something else — perhaps a triathlon,” he said.
Whatever he does, one thing is certain. “I will try to use it for God’s glory like I do everything else in my life.”
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Lonnie Wilkey and originally published by Baptist and Reflector.
