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2w ago

Chicago River Hosts First Organized Swim in 98 Years

Decades of cleanup plus rigorous pre-race testing made a supervised, charity-focused swim possible.

© A Long Swim
The second wave of 2-mile swimmers jump into the water before the Chicago River Swim, Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025, in Chicago. Over 300 swimmers gathered for the first organized swim in the Chicago River in 98 years. (Dominic Di Palermo/Chicago Tribune)
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The first wave of 2-mile swimmers jump into the water before the Chicago River Swim on Sept. 21, 2025. Over 300 swimmers gathered for the first organized swim in the Chicago River in 98 years. (Dominic Di Palermo/Chicago Tribune)

Overview

  • Roughly 260–300 vetted swimmers completed one- and two-mile courses on the downtown main branch without major incident.
  • Organizers report raising more than $100,000 for ALS research plus $50,000 for youth swim lessons at the Salvation Army Kroc Center.
  • Pre-race testing at eight sites showed bacteria levels around 200–600 CCE, below the 1,000 CCE threshold used for swimmer safety.
  • Safety measures included kayakers, volunteers, floating robotic markers and orange buoys, with the river reopened to boaters around 10 a.m.
  • Olympian Olivia Smoliga won the women’s one-mile division and Becca Mann posted the fastest two-mile time, as city leaders cast the event as a marker of the river’s recovery.