The Plunge
Maverick Swimmers, an Unlikely Quest, and the Transformative Power of Cold Water
Will be published approx. on 9. June 2026
Book
Hardback
320 pages
978-1-6680-5586-1 (ISBN)
Description
Born to Run meets Why We Swim and Breath in a globe-spanning work of immersive narrative nonfiction that dives into the hidden world of cold water plunging and swimming—and what it reveals about the human body, mind, and need for connection.
"Mesmerizing...I loved this book.” —Adam Grant, #1 New York Times bestselling author
When award-winning Sports Illustrated writer Chris Ballard receives a cryptic text promising to extend his athletic life, he has no idea it will lead him into a parallel athletic universe—one populated by record-breaking grandmothers, obsessive scientists, rogue visionaries chasing Olympic legitimacy, and everyday people willingly plunging into freezing water together, a realm that subverts the idea of what “elite” athletes are supposed to look like. What begins as curiosity becomes a three-year reporting journey across continents, from the saunas of Finland and seas of Ireland to Norway, England, and Boston.
Blending adventure journalism with rigorous research, The Plunge traces humanity’s long relationship with cold water—from the ancient Greeks and Victorian sea bathers to polar plungers and modern laboratories studying stress, resilience, and mental health, a lifeline for those “drowning on dry land.” Reporting from the front lines of emerging science, Ballard explores how brief, voluntary cold exposure can sharpen focus, elevate mood, reduce inflammation, stunt cortisol, and retrain the body’s stress response, creating a rare state of being both calm and alert.
Along the way, Ballard introduces pioneers like legendary distance swimmer Lynne Cox, follows Ram Barkai’s improbable quest to bring ice swimming to the Olympics, and charts a global movement that’s surged from fringe ritual to mainstream phenomenon. As his reporting deepens, so does his participation: Ballard graduates from cold plunges to competing alongside Olympians at the Ice Swimming World Championships. Along the way, his body and outlook change in surprising and measurable ways.
Unfolding through vivid scenes and unforgettable characters, The Plunge is a story of endurance, science, and human connection, an exploration of why, in a climate-controlled, screen-saturated world, so many people are choosing to seek out discomfort—and what becomes possible when we do hard things together.
"Mesmerizing...I loved this book.” —Adam Grant, #1 New York Times bestselling author
When award-winning Sports Illustrated writer Chris Ballard receives a cryptic text promising to extend his athletic life, he has no idea it will lead him into a parallel athletic universe—one populated by record-breaking grandmothers, obsessive scientists, rogue visionaries chasing Olympic legitimacy, and everyday people willingly plunging into freezing water together, a realm that subverts the idea of what “elite” athletes are supposed to look like. What begins as curiosity becomes a three-year reporting journey across continents, from the saunas of Finland and seas of Ireland to Norway, England, and Boston.
Blending adventure journalism with rigorous research, The Plunge traces humanity’s long relationship with cold water—from the ancient Greeks and Victorian sea bathers to polar plungers and modern laboratories studying stress, resilience, and mental health, a lifeline for those “drowning on dry land.” Reporting from the front lines of emerging science, Ballard explores how brief, voluntary cold exposure can sharpen focus, elevate mood, reduce inflammation, stunt cortisol, and retrain the body’s stress response, creating a rare state of being both calm and alert.
Along the way, Ballard introduces pioneers like legendary distance swimmer Lynne Cox, follows Ram Barkai’s improbable quest to bring ice swimming to the Olympics, and charts a global movement that’s surged from fringe ritual to mainstream phenomenon. As his reporting deepens, so does his participation: Ballard graduates from cold plunges to competing alongside Olympians at the Ice Swimming World Championships. Along the way, his body and outlook change in surprising and measurable ways.
Unfolding through vivid scenes and unforgettable characters, The Plunge is a story of endurance, science, and human connection, an exploration of why, in a climate-controlled, screen-saturated world, so many people are choosing to seek out discomfort—and what becomes possible when we do hard things together.
More details
Language
English
Product notice
sewn/stitched
Cloth over boards
Dimensions
Height: 232 mm
Width: 155 mm
Thickness: 29 mm
Weight
480 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-6680-5586-1 (9781668055861)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Chris Ballard
The Plunge
Maverick Swimmers, an Unlikely Quest, and the Transformative Power of Cold Water
E-Book
06/2026
Simon + Schuster LLC
€14.83
Available for download
Person
Chris Ballard, a senior writer at Sports Illustrated for two decades, is the award-winning author of four books, including One Shot at Forever, and has contributed to National Geographic and The New York Times Magazine. Reporting Plunge took him from cold plunges to competing alongside Olympians at the Ice Swimming World Championships.