About 300 swimmers plunged into the Chicago River on Sunday morning for the first organized open-water swim in almost a century as spectators lined the Dearborn and Clark Street bridges and the Riverwalk.
“Reclaiming our river not only creates a recreational space for residents and visitors, but it also puts us on the map, along with other global destinations, where open-water swims have become part of city culture,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said at the 7 a.m. start.
Participants who were swimming the 2-mile course started first, with those doing the 1-mile swim following.
A group of swimmers in the 2-mile event swim in the river Sunday. Swimmers were glad to see the water quality clear and clean. Candace Dane Chambers/Sun-Times
“This is a celebration,” said Doug McConnell, founder of A Long Swim, which organized Sunday’s event. “The city has done such a remarkable job over the generations to make sure that this water is swimmable, that the recreation opportunities are what they are.”
McConnell was happy to see Sunday’s swim happen. Last year, the city of Chicago denied a permit request for the event, citing safety concerns, and the event relocated to Lake Michigan.
Liz Dillmann, 60, of Aurora has been swimming for 50 years. She said she swam competitively in Australia growing up and still competes in the U.S. Masters, swimming four times a week in a pool.
“It has never been done in our lifetime,” Dillmann said as she watched the first group of swimmers get into the Chicago River. “So I’m just hoping for a clean, good swim, not too cold.”
Swimming in the river used to be a key facet of Chicago life, but by the 1920s, sewage and industrial runoff had made the river unsafe to swim in. According to event organizers, official swim events in the Chicago River ended in 1926.
Abhilasha Shrestha, a University of Illinois Chicago School of Public Health assistant professor, tested the water quality to ensure swimmer safety before the event. Candace Dane Chambers/Sun-Times
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