An ‘Open Swim’ in the Chicago River is in the Works for September

WTTW News, by Alex Ruppenthal | May 17, 2019 4:17 pm

Doug McConnell has swam in New York’s Hudson River, the Boston Harbor and even the English Channel. Now he wants to make a splash in his own city.

McConnell, of Barrington, and co-organizer Don Macdonald, of Chicago, are in the final stages, they hope, of planning an “open swim” in the Chicago River.

“Nobody in their right mind can [imagine] actually swimming in [the river],” McConnell said. “But if you look at the numbers, it really has improved to the point where you can [safely] have direct exposure.”

That’s true, at least most of the time, according to advocates for the river and data tracking its improvement in recent years and over the past century. However, the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago has said that while the quality of Chicago-area waterways has improved, “they are not designed for swimming.”

Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming

The cherished goal of marathon swimmers The International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame has created Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming, a special distinction for those swimmers who have completed certain designated swims. The Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming is

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July 15, 2014

Stung is the New Black

Let’s Talk Jelly Fish Lots of people are talking about jellyfish these days. The environmental activists will say, “You know, the oceans are warming everywhere, so there are swarms of jellyfish where there never have been before.” I don’t doubt

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May 27, 2013

Knocking Down the English Channel

Oui, Oui, Wissant I sent this email to a number of members of A Long Swim team from the pilot boat heading from Wissant Bay, France, to Dover, England at 3:30 a.m. Monday. The longer write-up appears in the journal.

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August 24, 2011