Athlete breaks record for longest ice submersion in Calgary

An extreme athlete from Switzerland spent over four hours in an ice bath in Calgary in an attempt to break the Guinness World Record.

Andre Belibi made the attempt during the Calgary Marathon Runners Expo at Stampede Park Friday afternoon, with the marathon also celebrating its 60th year.

He ended up spending a total of four hours and five minutes completely submerged in a glass box.

The personal trainer surpassed the previous record of four hours and two minutes by three minutes; however, it’s not official yet as the record has to be verified.

Evidence has to be submitted to Guinness for review, a process which may take weeks to complete.

“We are in the process of sending all the evidences to Guinness World Record [so] that I can be in the Guinness World Record website and book,” his post on Instagram reads.

“Until then all of you who watched the Instagram live and all the live spectators, televisions in newspapers in Calgary are witness that I did set the New World Record +4:05 Hours.”

He says he will be releasing more videos of the attempt.

Friday’s world record attempt was to raise money for Autism Canada. As of Sunday morning, 16 per cent of the $10,000 goal has been raised.

This wasn’t his first time in Alberta either. Belibi made a stint in Airdrie to perform in an ice water plunge in February 2022.

The extreme athlete is no stranger to pushing his body to the limits, finishing ultra-marathons as well as running across America and Africa.