A Swiss personal trainer and mindset coach with a penchant for performing daring cold-weather stunts will be staging a 30-minute polar bear plunge in Bayside next Tuesday, in order to raise awareness of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and prepare for a world record ice-immersion attempt he hopes to set later this year.
Andre Belibi Elomou, 36, lives in Switzerland, but he has ties to Calgary, having previously lived and studied in the city from 2004 to 2007. Belibi Elomou is also a long-time friend of Airdrie resident Levi Selk, a Calgary firefighter whom he met when Selk was on a Latter Day Saints mission in France back in 2004.
Belibi Elomou is currently back in Calgary for two weeks, and had plans of staging his polar bear plunge there on Feb. 28. However, after reconnecting with Selk earlier this week, Belibi Elomou is now going to conduct his icy plunge in Bayside instead.
“He’s always out doing these wild adventures for a good cause. He’s just a phenomenal human being.”
A polar bear plunge is an activity in which someone immerses themselves in frigid water for minutes at a time. It's become a popular way to improve cardiovascular circulation and help reduce stress or muscle cramping.
While most people would shudder at the thought of bathing in a pool of frozen water for upwards of half an hour, Belibi Elomou relishes such physical exertion challenges.
"I’ll be swimming under the ice between two holes that are between five to 10 yards [apart]," he explained of next week's feat. "I’m going to go under the ice, swim to the next hole, and see how many times I can do it as possible.”
Belibi Elomou is no stranger to challenging his body's physical capabilities in adverse weather conditions. The coach's social media accounts (his Facebook page is @andrebelibi and his Instagram handle is @andre_belibi) are littered with various cold-weather feats, inspired by Dutch motivational speaker and extreme-cold athlete Wim Hof.
Earlier this month, Belibi Elomou jogged bare-foot on snow for miles at a time, and before that walked for five and a half hours in below-freezing temperatures wearing only shorts, shoes, and a back pack.
In previous years, Belibi Elomou was an ultra-marathon runner, completing weeks-long runs from Normandy, France to Morocco, as well as across the United States.
While Belibi Elomou wants his various feats to demonstrate the resiliency of the human mind and body, he said the main reason he chooses to perform these stunts is to raise awareness of ASD, as his 11-year-old daughter Kira is on the autism spectrum. In one of his ice-bath challenge videos, he mentioned this year's world record attempt will coincide with Kira's birthday.
In order to break the world record, Belibi Elomou will have to stay submerged in the icy water for nearly three and a half hours. His personal best is roughly one hour and 21 minutes.
"It’s also to raise a positive message that with a great cause, you can do anything you set your mind to,” he said.
He added Tuesday night's ice bath will be public, and he is hoping Airdronians will come out and watch him submerge into the icy waters of Bayside's canal. The stunt will take place in the pond between Bayside Road SW and Bayside Drive SW at 7 p.m.
“I really hope people can watch this,” Belibi Elomou said.
