Cold-Water Duathlon 2026: Photos & Video

On 28 March 2026, U Žida hosted the fourth Cold-Water Duathlon, a joint event organised by Otužilci Frýdek-Místek and Beskydský ledoborec from Frýdlant nad Ostravicí. We organise it together, and together we brought our seventh season of group cold-water swimming to a close. There was still snow on the grass, but it did not put off the racers or the people who came to cheer them on. Winter clearly wasn’t quite ready to say goodbye.

The idea behind our duathlon is simple: run, swim across the Ostravice and back, then run again to the finish. In between, there are clothes and shoes to change, and plenty of determination is needed. It looks easy enough from the riverbank, but anyone who has tried it knows better. Huge respect to everyone who lined up at the start and took on both the course and the water.

The children had a race of their own, too. It was lovely to see their enthusiasm at the start and their delight at the awards. Around it all were the things we always enjoy: catching up, chatting, cheering and gathering for a group photo. That is why we do this. Cold-water swimming here is about more than the number of minutes we can spend in the water. It is also about the people we meet by the river.

Pavla Pavelková was the event director, and she deserves a big thank-you for organising it. Our group leader, Otakar Zemek, looked back on a successful season during the gathering. This year, our duathlon was hosted by Pavel “Palkoo” Jiřík, an experienced host of cultural events and concerts. He proved to be a great fit for our event, too. Thanks, Palkoo — it was a pleasure having you on the microphone!

A big thank-you also to Petr Paseka, Roman Pitucha and everyone else who helped prepare and run the event. Thank you to the racers, children, supporters and everyone who lent a hand. And, of course, thank you for the photos and video that let us look back on the day.

Enough talking — take a look for yourselves. Below you will find the video and a photo gallery, from the preparations and races to the group photo and awards. Thank you for another winter together and for making this group what it is.

See you by the water. Yours, Nikola Velebová.