— WHAT A DAY!
YOU PERSEVERED,
YOU GOT IT DONE
Congratulations to all finishers for showing-up, enduring the wet conditions and staying committed to making a $200,000 difference in the lives of our community.
— IT'S NEVER TOO EARLY TO APPLY
2024 & 2025 EVENT LINKS
— 100 YEARS AGO
RIVER SWIMS WERE THE BEES KNEES
The Chicago River's flow was reversed nearly 125 years ago to draw fresh water from Lake Michigan and clean a polluted river.
To celebrate the waterway's drastic turnaround, the Illinois Athletic Association began hosting a series of open water swims back in 1908.
The river swims attracted the highest-profile swimmers in the world, and more than 100,000 spectators lined the shore. The Chicago River Swims were a jewel in the crown of our young, vibrant city.
River Swim History