The City of Chicago has approved the 2025 Chicago River Swim, marking the first sanctioned open water swim in the Chicago River in nearly a century. Scheduled for Sunday, September 21, this milestone event celebrates the city’s environmental renewal and will raise funds for ALS research at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine and youth swim safety education in underserved communities.
The swim, organized by nonprofit A Long Swim, will feature a one- or two-mile route along the river’s main stem, with 500 qualified swimmers navigating beneath downtown bridges.
Olympian Natalie Hinds will serve as the event’s featured athlete and ambassador, highlighting CRS’s new partnership with the USA Swimming Foundation. The event will include a festive Riverwalk experience with vendors and a VIP viewing area. Decades of environmental improvement—from policy reform and sewage upgrades to real-time water quality tracking and riverfront development—have made this historic return possible.
Safety remains a top priority, with extensive precautions in place and final approval contingent on water quality data. Applications to swim are open through August 11 at chicagoriverswim.org.
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