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Study note

Influence of cold-water immersion on recovery of elite triathletes following the ironman world championship.

Updated Oct 17, 2026

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Human researchJournal of science and medicine in sport2018Read the source on PubMed

What the study found

One cold-water immersion session produced no significant between-group recovery benefit in the measured outcomes over the following 40 hours.

Participants and protocol

Thirty-three Ironman World Championship participants received either ten minutes of immersion at 10 degrees Celsius or no intervention. Researchers assessed soreness, hydration and blood markers after the race.

One cold plunge did not accelerate measured Ironman recovery

Thirty-three Ironman World Championship athletes received either 10 minutes of 10°C cold-water immersion or no intervention after racing. Muscle-damage, inflammation, soreness and hydration markers changed over the following 40 hours, but the groups did not differ significantly.

Do not treat a post-race cold plunge as a proven shortcut to physiological recovery. If cold water feels good and is safe for you, it can remain a comfort choice; the higher-priority recovery plan is time, sleep, food, fluid and a gradual return to load.

This study tested one immediate protocol in elite-event participants and followed outcomes for 40 hours, so it cannot rule on every temperature, duration or later subjective effect. Check the measurements in the PubMed record.

Continue with your event

What this cannot establish

A null result in this small study does not prove that all cold-water protocols are ineffective. Effects beyond 40 hours and individual preferences were not established.

Publication details
Record
PubMed 29685828
Publication types
Randomized Controlled Trial
Indexed subjects
Muscle, Skeletal · Inflammation · Water · Immersion · Physical Endurance
Source record checked
2026-10-18

Publication type and subject indexing describe the record; they are not a quality grade or proof of a benefit. An abstract does not replace a review of the full methods and results.

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Sources