The saga of the much talked about Chicago River Swim event continues: Organizers have revealed that the open-water swimming extravaganza, which was supposed to happen in the Chicago River but was cancelled following a permit denial, will now take place in Lake Michigan.
To be specific, the event will still happen on September 22 but all swimmers will meet on the Riverwalk and get on a boat that will take them to Ohio Street Beach, where they will actually get to swim. The main reasons behind the change in route have to do with safety concerns.
"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, founder of A Long Swim and the organizer of Chicago River Swim, in an official statement. "We're using this opportunity to build momentum and refine our approach."
When the event was first announced, thousands of people applied to be a part of it—but only 500 were selected to actually participate. Given the change of venue and circumstance, the organizers also announced that folks who no longer wish to be involved will be issued refunds or credits for next year.
Speaking of: Those in charge are hoping they'll be able to host the event as it was meant to be (read: in the Chicago River) in 2025.
Given that all the money raised will benefit ALS research projects, we can't help but cheer on the effort and hope that it will become an yearly occurrence.
Good luck to all participating swimmers!