Overview

• The City of Chicago has officially approved the 2025 Chicago River Swim for Sept. 21, marking the first sanctioned open-water event in the downtown river in nearly a century.
• Five hundred qualified swimmers will navigate a one- to two-mile course from the Dearborn Street Bridge eastward toward State Street and westward to finish near the Clark Street Bridge.
• Organizers have established a comprehensive safety plan featuring real-time water-quality monitoring, over 100 safety personnel on kayaks, paddleboards and boats, autonomous buoys, GPS surveillance and in-water timing systems.
• U.S. Olympian Natalie Hinds joins as the featured athlete through a partnership with the USA Swimming Foundation to highlight swim education and public health initiatives.
• Applications are open through August 11 at no cost for swimmers with prior open-water experience, with selected participants required to meet fundraising targets to benefit ALS research, youth swim education.