Why would anyone with an ounce of self-preservation jump into a frigid body of water in the middle of a Colorado winter wearing nothing but a bathing suit or silly costume?
For thousands of Coloradans who participate in polar plunges every year, it’s for a good cause. It’s also, believe it or not, remarkably fun.
“We call it freezing for a reason,” said Katie Margolis, event manager at Special Olympics Colorado.
Margolis herself has plunged twice, once during a snowstorm in Boulder and a second time on a 70-degree day in Aurora. How cold any one plunge will be is as much of a dice roll as Colorado’s weather. At one event, the fire department had to cut ice out of the water with a chainsaw so people could get in, Margolis said.
“But you can’t help giggling and smiling,” she said. “It’s impossible not to laugh.”
Part of the popularity of polar plunges in Colorado may be because of a rising interest in ice baths, Margolis said. Proponents report health benefits ranging from improved concentration to faster workout recovery and better sleep.
The theory is that rapidly lowering the body’s core temperature has positive effects on the metabolic, immune, circulatory and nervous systems. Most of the benefits are anecdotal, and studies on cold plunging have had mixed results, according to reports from the Cleveland Clinic and Case Western Reserve University.
But cold plunging is not risk-free, according to the National Weather Service. Sudden exposure to cold water can cause cold shock, which includes rapid breathing or hyperventilation, increased heart rate and blood pressure, and impaired thinking from the stress.
At Special Olympics events, there are always first responders in insulated suits who stay in the water to make sure people plunge safely and keep them from venturing too far into the water, Margolis said.
And regardless of their reasons for plunging, the number of people who come out of the water shivering and grinning — and ready to return next year — is undeniable, she said.
Folks often dress in crazy costumes, start random dance parties and stick around the entire event to watch others brave the water.
Special Olympics Colorado hosts five larger polar plunges in Denver, Aurora, Boulder, Colorado Springs and Windsor, along with several smaller plunges in Avon, Lakewood, Pueblo and Grand Junction.
In the last year, 2,428 people have risked the cold water while another 1,276 participants ran 5K races, raising nearly $650,000. Every event is organized by a local law enforcement agency.
“No matter how cold you are, nobody leaves without a smile on their face,” Margolis said.