"Chicago River Swim will return for its second year in September, city says," Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times: It’s back! Chicago’s open-water river swim will return to the Chicago River Main Stem in September following last year’s success.
Chicago’s open-water swim will return to the Chicago River for its second year on Sept. 20, the City of Chicago announced on Thursday.
Last September, more than 300 swimmers plunged into the Chicago River for the first organized open-water swim in 98 years. Swimmers will return this September to complete one-mile and two-mile courses along the river’s main channel in downtown Chicago.
Proceeds from this years event will support Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) research and support the Chicago Park District’s efforts to expand access to free swim lessons and water safety education across the city.
“The Chicago River Swim reflects my administration’s commitment to restoring and activating the river as a safe and accessible public asset,” Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said. “This event celebrates decades of environmental progress and demonstrates what is possible when the City partners with community leaders to expand opportunity, promote public health and bring Chicagoans together around our shared waterways.”
The event is organized by the nonprofit A Long Swim, which was founded by marathon swimmer and ALS advocate Doug McConnell. Following the loss of his father to the disease, McConnell and his sister Ellen, who was later diagnosed with ALS, launched the organization to generate awareness. The nonprofit has raised more than $3 million for ALS research at the Ozdinler Lab of Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine.
“The second annual Chicago River Swim is about building on that momentum,” McConnell said. “It is deeply meaningful to see this become a lasting tradition that supports ALS research and helps ensure more young people have access to swim education and water safety.”
The event is slated to take place on Sept, 20 from 6:30 a.m. to 10 a.m.
Applications will open on March 31, and remain open for four weeks. An eligibility review of applicants will take place to ensure they meet safety and experience requirements, the news release said. The event expects to select 500 swimmers, which will be announced the week of May 4.
The event will return as the Chicago River records its cleanest levels on record, the news release said.
To ensure water quality remains safe for swimmers, a layered testing approach with the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District and the University of Illinois Chicago will continue to monitor water quality up to the event.
“The fact that people can once again safely enter and enjoy the river demonstrates how far we’ve come in restoring water quality, strengthening habitat, and recognizing the river as a living ecosystem, teeming with life, at the heart of our city,” Margaret Frisbie, executive director of Friends of the Chicago River, said.