— CBS NEWS
HOW AMERICAN CITIES ARE RETHINKING THEIR URBAN RIVERS
Click the image to view the CBS News story on national urban waterway reclamation, including coverage of the 2024 Chicago River Swim (aired 10/21/24).
— LET'S TALK ABOUT THE FUTURE
2025 EVENT DETAILS
The tentative 2025 date is set for Sunday, September 21. A general application window will open this spring!
— 100 YEARS AGO
RIVER SWIMS WERE THE BEES KNEES
The Chicago River's flow was reversed nearly 125 years ago to draw fresh water from Lake Michigan and clean a polluted river.
To celebrate the waterway's drastic turnaround, the Illinois Athletic Association began hosting a series of open water swims back in 1908.
The river swims attracted the highest-profile swimmers in the world, and more than 100,000 spectators lined the shore. The Chicago River Swims were a jewel in the crown of our young, vibrant city.
River Swim History