THE COLD HALF

It's Official - Race Day:
January 25, 2026!

Entries are Open! - Click here to enter via Race Timing Solutions

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The Cold Half Marathon Swim is a 15km winter marathon swim on Hong Kong Island from Stanley Main Beach to Repulse Bay Beach. This is a solo, 2-person, or 3-person relay race.

For those who love swimming in the chill but mind the extreme distance, you can sign up for the 1.5km Cold Plunge race. This is the only winter swimming event of its kind in Hong Kong.

After a smashing introduction to race day last year we also have the return of the Cold Dip ice bath challenge at Repulse Bay. Open to spectators and race finishers alike. Challenge yourself to stay in the icy water - down to a bone chilling 3 degrees... if you dare...(no swimming required!)

New for 2026, we're introducing an exciting way to join the cold:

The Cold Sprint: A fast and furious 400m swim perfect for a first-time winter challenge.

For all three races there are wetsuit and non-wetsuit categories.

Medals and prizes for top 3 category and age-group winners. Your entry also includes professional chip-timing, race swag, post race food, and award ceremony.

There will be category prizes for all three races.

The event is jointly organised by AVRA and 26 Coaching, and sponsored by Streamline Sports.

Scroll down for race details and registration.

Distance: 15km

Registration: 8:00am(TBC) by Sea School Pier near Stanley Main Beach

Start time: 9:00am(TBC)

Finish at Repulse Bay Beach

Cut-off time: 6 hours (cut off – 5 hours at Round Island)

Please contact the race organiser if unsure about your ability to finish in time. This event is for advanced swimmers only.

Categories

Solo

Naturally Ocean: no wetsuit
Wetsuited & Buoyant: with wetsuit

Relay - 2 or 3 person

Naturally Ocean: no wetsuit
Wetsuited & Buoyant: with wetsuit

Points to Note

Limit to a maximum 30 solo swimmers due to limited availability of safety support. A motorboat or a kayak & support paddler is mandatory for 15km solo swimmers.

There will likely be two start times. If your estimated finish time is over 4.5 hours, please select the earlier start. You may be penalised if you choose the early start but complete in under 4.5 hours.

Age Limit & Temperature Rules:

Cold Half 15km Solo: 16+ years only.
Cold Half 15km Relay: 14+ years only. Swimmers under 16 MUST wear a wetsuit if water temperature is below 20°C.
Cold Plunge 1.5km & Cold Sprint 400m: Swimmers under 16 MUST wear a wetsuit if water temperature is below 20°C.
The Cold Dip: Open to all registered participants aged 14 and over.

For relay teams there are two options:

30/30 - A change is mandated at every 30 mins - for both 2 & 3 person relay teams . You must change in the same order every time.
5/5/5 - 3 Person Relay teams only - change at the 5km, and 10km point.
Half/Half - There is one change only at the 7.5km point

A support motorboat is mandatory for all 15km relay teams. A “Yak” relay(paddle/swim) may be accepted for relays, upon the organiser’s assessment of race day temperature and condition. For Yak Relay teams, a wetsuit is mandatory and inflatable kayaks/support craft is not permitted.

Since swimmers will either have a support boat or a kayak, swim buoys are not mandatory for the Cold Half.

Final Course Routing TBC

2024 Course:

OWS Start and finish at Repulse Bay Beach

Distance: 1.5km Solo

Categories

Age-group categories

Naturally Ocean: no wetsuit
Wetsuited & Buoyant: with wetsuit

Points to Note

Swim buoys are mandatory for Cold Plunge.

Depending on number of sign-ups, we will decide on start format. The race registration page will ask you to submit your estimated finish time.

We are offering discounts for bulk registrations (more than 10 swimmers) for schools, swim teams and triathlon clubs. For details on how to register, please contact Shu (shu@avra.cc).

Cold Plunge Course Map:

New distance this year!

Distance: 400m Solo

OWS Start and finish at Repulse Bay Beach

Categories

Age-group categories

Naturally Ocean: no wetsuit
Wetsuited & Buoyant: with wetsuit

Points to Note

Swim buoys are mandatory for Cold Sprint.

Depending on number of sign-ups, we will decide on start format.

We are offering discounts for bulk registrations (more than 10 swimmers) for schools, swim teams and triathlon clubs. For details on how to register, please contact Shu (shu@avra.cc).

Cold Plunge Course Map Coming Soon!

For those swimmers who didn't get too chilled during their Cold Half or Plunge, we've got you covered with the Cold Dip Ice Bath Challenge. It was a hit last year, and will be making the return again this year!

Survive 4 minutes shoulder deep in the bath and get yourself onto the leaderboard. Dippers will be allowed to enter slowly, and the timer will start once they have lowered themselves to shoulder depth.

All participants must read and sign a waiver to acknowledge an understanding of the risks of a cold water plunge.

Water temperature will be taken on the day - last year we got them down to a balmy 3C!

Get a Coach

If you would like some coaching for the Cold Plunge, Half, or Xtreme get in contact with Henry Wright at 26 Coaching. Henry has extensive swimming and triathlon coaching experience, and unique knowledge of the Cold Half and Cold Plunge - having competed in both multiple times! Henry will also be there on race day as the Race Director!

26 Coaching offers group sessions in the pool and open water at Repulse Bay, as well as one on one coaching by highly qualified and experienced coaches.

Henry's tips on how to prepare and train for a successful Cold Half can be found here.

http://www.26coaching.com/

Registration and Payment

Below prices do not include support boat fees.

Distance	Early Bird	Standard
Cold Half 15km - solo	2,300	2,800
Cold Half 15km - relay (2 Person)	1,500/swimmer	1,800/swimmer
Cold Half 15km - relay (3 Person)	1,500/swimmer	1,800/swimmer
Cold Plunge 1.5km	450	550
Cold Plunge 1.5km - sponsored entry for foreign domestic worker swimmers by participants	Free	Free
Cold Sprint 400m	300	350

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Cancellation policy:

There is no refund if you cancel or do not show.

In the event that we are unable to host the event due to adverse weather conditions, we will reschedule the race on a fall-back date. There is no refund or deferral for change of dates.

If it is our decision to cancel the race, full registration fees and add-ons including support/boat/kayak rental/support paddler hires will be refunded, however excluding merchandise sales and any transaction fees.

Sponsor 1 or more Foreign Domestic Swimmer

We have set up a charity bundle option, so that swimmers can opt to sponsor 1 or more Foreign Domestic Swimmers by paying a reduced fee of $300/entry to race the 1.5km Cold Plunge or/and 400m Cold Sprint.

We have 20 slots on offer. Swimmers can sponsor up to 10 swimmers by filling up the last option on the registration page before checking out.

Thank you all for giving back to the swimming community!

Exclusive Discounts:

Streamline Sports continues to support this race with an exclusive 20% discounts site-wise with code: COLD20, and a 30% discount for wetsuits with code: WET30. Check out the wetsuits here.