E 62 - Jemimah Mcilroy - The Ice Princess

Welcome back to the SwimScape Podcast, where we dive deep into the stories behind New Zealand’s most inspiring open water swimmers, adventurers, and endurance athletes.

Today’s guest is someone who perfectly embodies what this podcast is all about -grit, curiosity, humility, and an incredible love of the water. Jemimah Mcilroy is a Dunedin-based marathon swimmer and university student who has already achieved more than most swimmers do in a lifetime.

She’s completed an extraordinary challenge by swimming around all nine islands of Dunedin, she’s immersed herself in the world of cold-water swimming, and she’s now training for one of New Zealand’s ultimate endurance tests - the Cook Strait crossing. If you’ve seen her Instagram, you’ll know she seems to spend more time in cold water than most people spend in a warm shower.

Jem is the oldest of five kids, she’s one of those genuinely kind people who makes everyone around her feel welcome, and underneath that friendly smile is someone who is absolutely tough as nails. She has a remarkable ability to keep showing up, day after day, in conditions that would send most of us straight back to shore.

In this episode, we talk about marathon swimming, cold-water mastery, mental resilience, balancing university life with elite-level training, and what it really takes to prepare for Cook Strait.

So grab a coffee, jump in the car, or better yet, head out for a swim—and please enjoy this conversation with the incredibly inspiring Jemimah McIlroy.