(Above) Boats anchored on Lake Michigan near Ohio Street Beach.

By Steven Dahlman

20-Aug-24 – Disappointment echoed along the Chicago River on Monday as it was announced that a swimming race planned over the past eight years for the south branch – and then the main branch – is moving to Lake Michigan.

The Chicago River Swim will take place near Ohio Street Beach on Sunday, September 22, with 500 experienced open-water swimmers navigating a two-mile course through Lake Michigan.

“We had high hopes of swimming in the river this year, but we quickly learned the challenges involved in organizing a new event of this scale,” said Doug McConnell (left), co-founder of the nonprofit A Long Swim. “The complexities of launching a first-time event are recognized, particularly around safety concerns.” Friends of the Chicago River

It was the City of Chicago’s idea, says McConnell. The Chicago Department of Transportation denied a permit for the event, citing safety concerns, particularly with the concentration of swimmers it would create on the main branch of the Chicago River. Swimmers were going to follow a looped course stretching from State Street west to Wolf Point. The permit application was denied after review by multiple city departments, including the Chicago Fire Department and Chicago Police Department.

McConnell says they followed all procedures, submitting their application on time with a safety plan developed over several years and guidance from the United States Coast Guard, other authorities, and similar events worldwide.

The compromise to relocate to Lake Michigan, he says, is in “the best interests of its participants.”

The event will start on the Chicago River, with swimmers and spectators taken by boats to Lake Michigan starting at 6:30 a.m. on September 22. The race will start at 8:00 a.m.

McConnell says the event will raise money for research into ALS, the neurodegenerative disease also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, and to provide swim lessons to 2,000 children in underserved Chicago communities.

Event could move to Chicago River next year

The event could still be held on the Chicago River in 2025.

“The city has worked with us to find a solution that allows the event to move forward, and we’re using this opportunity to build momentum and refine our approach,” McConnell said. “Ohio Street Beach will provide a great setting for this year’s swim, and we’re grateful for the continued support as we aim to make history in the river next year.”

2nd Ward Alderman Brian Hopkins says the September 22 event in Lake Michigan “will serve as a pilot event with the goal of returning to the river next year.”

“The event will feature qualified swimmers navigating the lake, while still maintaining a strong connection to the Chicago River, with hopes of swimming through its iconic bridges, Riverwalk, and skyline in the future,” said Hopkins (right). Streeterville Organization of Active Residents

Swimmers include Olympians, triathletes

The 500 swimmers were selected from 1,160 applicants from 12 countries and 39 U.S. states, according to McConnell. They include Olympic swimmers and Chicago Triathlon participants.

Each prospective participant in the September 22 event was required to demonstrate prior open water swimming experience.

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

Chicago River still swimmable, says environmental group

Friends of the Chicago River expressed disappointment with the permit denial, pointing out that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency approved much of the river system for swimming 13 years ago.

The organization says water quality stations are “consistently recording levels well within Illinois EPA safety targets” for recreational use.

“Friends of the Chicago River is disappointed that the Chicago River Swim won’t take place this year in the river downtown where it would demonstrate to the world that the investments made in clean water and public access have paid off,” said Margaret Frisbie (left), Executive Director of Friends of the Chicago River.

“We look forward to working with A Long Swim to make this year’s event a success and to ensure next year that it takes place in the river,” she said.

Friends of the Chicago River has joined an alliance of 56 organizations worldwide working to make their urban rivers swimmable.

The alliance, said Frisbie, “is committed to creating an acceptance of swimming in places like Chicago where swimming is culturally rejected even as water quality and legal protections make it possible.”

“Cities can become internationally renowned for swimmability, which has direct economic and social benefits from quality of life to public health, spiritual connection, workplace productivity, and tourism,” she said.

The Swimmable Cities Charter was launched on July 16 with participants discussing “ways that swimming experiences can be a catalyst for regenerating urban waterways.”

The charter, said Frisbie, “shows how people worldwide are creating different strategies to adapt their waterways for safe and beautiful urban swimming experiences.”

Still, no Chicago River swims since 1920s

There has not been an organized swim in the Chicago River in more than 100 years.

Swimming races across the river were popular in the early 20th century. When the river was reversed in 1900, it resulted in an improvement in water quality but a decline in river commerce. (Right) A race across the Chicago River in 1908. Photo obtained from Chicago History Museum.

When McConnell first proposed the event in 2016, the 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. The 2016 event did not happen, nor did the race that was announced in 2019.

Previous story: City denies permit but offers alternate route for Chicago River Swim