As much as Chicagoans love the Chicago River, its vibrant riverwalk, its kayaking experiences, and its annual tradition of being dyed green for St Patrick’s Day, you’ll find few Chicagoans who would ever dip a toe in it let alone take an early morning swim.
Some 106 years ago back in 1908, the Illinois Athletic Association hosted a series of open-water swims in the Chicago River attracting the highest-profile swimmers on the planet and drawing over 100,000 spectators.
That was the last time an organized open-water swim took place and “the stinking river” has long been considered too polluted to swim in due to excessive sewage and waste.
This year, however, things are about to change and history will be made when an organized Chicago River swim taking place in September becomes the first in more than a century.
“The Chicago River Swim will offer athletes a once-in-a-lifetime experience to swim among the city’s famous skyscrapers and under its iconic bridges. This is truly history in the making” reads chicagoriverswim.org.
Taking place on Sunday, September 22, 2024, the inaugural Chicago River Swim will raise funds for ALS collaborative research through Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine and local youth learn-to-swim programs.
There will be a cap of 500 participants and those involved will be split into two groups swimming either 1 or 2 miles from the Dearborn and Clark Street bridges and looping between State Street and Wolf Point.
Due to anticipated demand, a special application process now open through Sunday, April 29th will select qualified individuals before applications are reviewed and participants are selected in early May.
Selected participants will be notified of their entry via email the week starting Monday, May 6th, and will then have 72 hours to complete an additional registration process and pay the registration fee.
After the swim, there will be a Finish Festival on the riverwalk featuring “lively music, special guest appearances, an awards ceremony, and other promotional opportunities.”
Applications and more information can be found at www.chicagoriverswim.org.
[Featured image from Shutterstock]