“Iceman” Richard Pelletier Marks 1000-Straight Days of Swimming in Minnesota’s Lake Harriet

Minnesota’s “iceman” Richard Pelletier has officially completed his 1,000th consecutive day of outdoor freshwater swimming in one of the coldest locations in the United States, marking an impressive feat. 

Known to his community as “Ricky Lake”, Pelletier has swam in Lake Harriet for 1000 days straight, usually completing 100 strokes during his time in the water. He celebrated the occasion of his 1000th swim on December 8, 2023, with a quick dip into the 41-degree waters of the Lake. 

Pelletier shared a video celebrating his 1000th straight swim on his Instagram account: 

Pelletier’s journey has been well documented by the StarTribune, with the newspaper photographing his plunges into the frozen lake. On several occasions, the newspaper has even captured photos of Pelletier removing ice from the lake to find a spot to swim in. 

Lake Harriet is located just southwest of Minneapolis, Minnesota, where the water temperature ranges from as hot as 75 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer to only 34 degrees Farenheit in the winter. Air temperatures also range from around 80 degrees fahrenheit to as low as 0 degrees fahrenheit on the most extreme days, making Pelletier’s accomplishment even more impressive.