Dunedin teen joins winter race in preparation for Cook Strait

A Dunedin teenager is preparing to take the plunge into Lake Whakatipu as part of her rigorous training to prepare for swimming across Cook Strait.

On Saturday, 19-year-old Jemimah McIlroy will take part in the Whakatipu Legend swimming contest. Next week, she'll set off on a 50km swim from Glenorchy to Queenstown.

The Otago Polytechnic sport and exercise student told Checkpoint she's aiming to win on Saturday, when the water temperature is expected to be about nine degrees.

What's more, as part of her conditioning for Cook Strait she's doing it without a wetsuit.

McIlroy said she has a few techniques up her sleeve to cope with the icy temperatures.

"The main thing is to not stop," she said, "stopping is when you get cold. [Then] just getting really warm afterwards, it's usually fine during [the swim] but afterwards is when you really feel it."

For the 50km journey from Glenorchy to Queenstown, however, she plans to wear a wetsuit.

"We're going to do 10 kilometres a day for five days, which will take about three hours per day."

"I'm going with other people. So there's going to be two people on kayaks and four swimming."

For such rigorous journeys, McIlroy said she has to make sure to fuel up, with her favourite mid-swim snack being RJs sherbet fizz.

As for the rest of her training diet, she isn't fussy.

"[Pretty much] anything I can lay eyes on," she said.

While the Cook Strait swim and training leading up to it may be gruelling, McIlroy said she's in it for the challenge.

"It's something to work towards and I also just really love the ocean."

While she's keeping a positive mindset, she is aware that there will be challenges that arise.

"[It will] probably [be] the muscular endurance, I will probably get really sore shoulders, so just getting used to that."

Despite the scale of the swims she is undertaking, McIlroy has only been seriously swimming for around six months, joining a swim squad at the start of this year.

She is planning on crossing the Cook Strait in early February next year, when she will be in Wellington for a week.

"Out of the week, we'll pick the best day and go for it."

The crossing doesn't come without its costs, though, and McIlroy is currently trying to raise $10,000.

In pursuit of that, a Givealittle page has been launched, with any money raised going towards paying for her support crew.