Lake jump sets a world record

Star Tribune Staff Writers

Last update: January 1, 2008 - 9:04 PM

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Joe Slaughter, from Orono, and his friend Brandon Hietala, from Maple Grove, jump into the water at Lake Minnetonka during the Active Live and Running Club (ALARC) frozen lake jump. The two friends are from the University of North Dakota. This is Slaughter third time, and he talked his friend Hietala into jumping for the first time.

Steve Rice, Star Tribune

Tim Decker, left, Excelsior, Scott Belz, Excelsior, and George Davisson, in hat, from Victoria, leap high to enter frozen Lake Minnetonka.

Steve Rice, Star Tribune

Jay Stuvek and his son William, 7, make the plung into a frozen Lake Minnetonka. This was William's first jump, his twin brother Michael made the jump last year.

Steve Rice, Star Tribune

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Call it a world record.

The Active Life and Running Club (ALARC) established a world record today for the most people to jump into a frozen lake at one event at its annual "On It & In It Lake Minnetonka Ice Plunge" at the Bay View Event Center in Excelsior. They officially recorded 689 people diving into the water this morning.

ALARC contacted the preeminent keeper of world records - the folks at Guinness in Britain. They said they don't have such a record, said ALARC's Bill Wenmark, and they really weren't interested in recognizing one, either.

So, Wenmark said, ALARC established the record this morning with plans to entertain claims to it from anywhere else in the world.

In the meantime, Wenmark said, ALARC is also petitioning the city of Excelsior to have it declared the "Ice Dive Capital of the World," much in the way that Anoka has christened itself as the "Halloween Capital of the World."

This was the 18th annual ALARC plunge, with last year's dive drawing an all-time high of 669 participants, Wenmark said.

Registration began at 7:30 a.m., with a warmup run or exercise at 9 a.m. and the jump at 9:30 a.m. Air temperature was about 6 degrees, and the water was right around freezing. Ice exceeding 7 inches in depth was removed recently to create the hole.

Proceeds from registration fees are donated to various charities, Wenmark said, including a summer camp for kids with asthma operated by the American Lung Association of Minnesota.