Gaurav Savant, Kevin Barry, Brady Clark and William Butler stand in the frigid waters of City Pool before a recent swim. The group is in training for a half triathlon Saturday in New Roads, La. (Ernest Bowker/The Vicksburg Post)

It’s a sunny lunchtime at City Pool. The sun is high in the air, making it warm enough to walk around without a jacket after a nippy November morning. The water temperature has cooled to 62 degrees.

For a group of hardy souls, that makes it a perfect day for a swim.

William Butler, Gaurav Savant, Brady Clark and Kevin Barry dip their feet in the pool and recoil in shock. Then they slip on their wetsuits for a 30-minute swim — too much longer and they’ll risk hypothermia — that they hope will prepare them for the River Roux Triathlon in New Roads, La.

The training sessions are intended to acclimate them to the chilly water they’ll dive into Saturday morning. The River Roux is a half-triathlon that consists of a 1.2-mile river swim, a 56-mile bike race and a 13.1-mile run.

“It’s really tough mentally. That’s why we all jump in. It’s that first step, because we know what’s coming. It’s like getting in a cold shower,” Savant said. “After a few minutes, you get used to it. Without the wet suit you’d just freeze like a popsicle.”

Butler, Savant, Clark and Barry are among a group of seven Vicksburg residents who will compete in the triathlon. Joe Giambrone, Bobby Thomas and Heather Butler will also go.

The experienced group of triathletes and open water swimmers trains year-round, and when a late-season triathlon popped up on the schedule it was Barry who suggested they don the wetsuits to prepare for the icy swim.

“I thought what a nice way to ease out of the season,” Barry said, before adding with a laugh, “That was in August.”

City Pool closed to the public on Oct. 31, but the group of triathletes received special permission from pool manager Sylvia Gurtowski to continue training until the triathlon.

Normally, Gurtowski said, she wouldn’t allow anyone in the pool once the water temperature goes below 72 degrees. Comfortable water temperatures are typically in the 80s. Because of their swimming ability and, most importantly, the protective insulation of the wetsuits, she has allowed the group to keep going even after the temperature dipped to the low 60s. Even so, Gurtowski limits their time in the water to about 30 minutes.

“The only reason they’re allowed to do it is because of the wetsuits,” Gurtowski said.

Some members of the group have competed in cold triathlons before, but others have not. For Clark, the training has been helpful.

“This is my first year to do a triathlon this late in the season, so I haven’t done a cold water swim,” Clark said. “It definitely gets you acclimated. When it’s this cold it takes your breath away and it can cause some problems.”

Problems that don’t end once the triathletes escape the icy grip of the water. The second phase of the triathlon, the bike ride, can be even more frigid. Any pieces of wet clothing, skin or hair can turn into serious problems when racers approach speeds of 30 mph on the exposed bike.

“It’s something I’m definitely worried about, getting on the bike wet,” Clark said. “Even if I have to take a little longer in the transition and put on dry clothes, I might do that.”

On the whole, the triathletes were confident that their training would carry them through the physical demands of the race. Training that, they joked, extended beyond the pool and road to the dinner table.

“Either you’ve got blubber or a wetsuit right now. Or both,” Barry said.