(Above) Reid Murdoch Center and the LaSalle Street Bridge would have been along the route of the swim event announced on April 2.

By Steven Dahlman

22-Jul-24 – Citing safety concerns, particularly with the concentration of swimmers it would create on the main branch of the Chicago River, the City of Chicago has denied a permit for a charity event planned for September.

With water quality being closely monitored, as many as 500 experienced open-water swimmers were going to follow a looped course stretching from State Street west to Wolf Point on the morning of September 22. More than 100 safety personnel would be on hand and the river was going to close to commercial and recreational vessels.

It would have been the first organized swim in the Chicago River in more than 100 years. The event, organized by the nonprofit “A Long Swim,” would raise money for ALS research and to help children in underserved communities learn to swim.

The permit application, received by the city on June 13, was denied after review by multiple city departments, including the Chicago Fire Department and Chicago Police Department, according to Erica Schroeder, Director of Public Information for Chicago Department of Transportation.

“While the City of Chicago recognizes the positive nature of the ‘A Long Swim’ open water swimming event in the Chicago River, the proposed route and concentration of swimmers raised significant safety concerns for participants, first responders, and the general public,” said Schroeder on July 12. A Long Swim was offered an alternate route that, said Schroeder, “allows the event to proceed while ensuring high standards of safety for all participants and the effective allocation of city resources.” (Left) View from Wolf Point West looking east along main branch of Chicago River.

Neither the city nor A Long Swim elaborated on where exactly the alternate route is located on the river.

Doug McConnell, who founded A Long Swim with his sister, Ellen McConnell Blakeman, says they are still aiming for September 22 and are “diligently working” with the city to address concerns and meet requirements.

“The Chicago River Swim team is committed to ensuring a safe and successful event for all participants and spectators,” said McConnell (right). “We are taking every possible step to ensure the event adheres to the highest safety standards. We appreciate the city’s cooperation and guidance throughout this process, and we are confident in our ability to resolve the current issues promptly.”

In April, McConnell said that City of Chicago permits would be secured after the United States Coast Guard had finished its work to coordinate the event. He explained that because the Chicago River is a federal waterway, they were working “closely” with the Coast Guard, as well as various city departments.

McConnell is an investment banker from Barrington, Illinois, and an open water swimmer himself. He swam the English Channel in 2011, and in 2016 he swam 32 miles from Molokai island to Oahu.

When McConnell first proposed the event in 2016, the proposed route was from Ping Tom Memorial Park on the south branch of the Chicago River 2.4 miles to the Clark Street Bridge on the main branch. That 2016 event did not happen, nor did a race that was announced in 2019.

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