Chicago River Swim

06/04/2026

Swimmers, are you ready to do this one more time?

September 20. See you in the river.

06/02/2026

ICYMI: We were in Outside Magazine! 👀

The Chicago River Swim was just one of many expansions of urban waterways becoming a vessel for public swimming.

We’re so thrilled to see this trend across the nation and to be featured in this story!

Read the piece here:

From Portland to Baltimore, once-toxic rivers are becoming the nation’s newest playgrounds as swimmers reclaim their right to city waters.

05/31/2026

Today marks the end of ALS Awareness Month.

ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells responsible for voluntary muscle movement. There is currently no cure, which is why continued research and funding are so critical.

Chicago River Swim supports ALS research at Northwestern University’s Ozdinler Lab. Led by Dr. Hande Ozdinler, in collaboration with Dr. Rick Silverman, the team helped identify AKV-9, a promising new compound that has shown the ability to improve diseased brain neurons affected by ALS. AKV-9 has since received orphan drug designation and FDA approval to begin Phase 1 clinical trials.

We are proud that support from our community is helping advance research with real potential to impact the future of ALS treatment.

05/28/2026

Our merch store is now open.

Wear your support and help fund ALS research and youth swim lessons! 🌊

Browse our collection at: https://www.chicagoriverswim.org/Race/Store/IL/Chicago/ChicagoRiverSwim

05/26/2026

05/22/2026

Here’s an update on our Chicago and U.S. roll call! 📢

We are thrilled to have applicants represented from:
👉 44 Chicago neighborhoods
👉 33 U.S. states
👉 12 countries around the world

Thank you for choosing to swim in the heart of our city. We can’t wait to show you what Chicago is all about.

If you missed our application deadline but are still interested in joining the swim this fall, we’ve reserved a limited number of entries through our special access programs.

To learn more about post-close entry opportunities and determine if you qualify, please visit our website: chicagoriverswim.org

05/20/2026

Four more months.

Mark your calendars: September 20, 2026.

See you in the river.

05/18/2026

From Chicago, with love. 💙

05/15/2026

What a night! ✨

We’re incredibly honored to be recognized at this year’s Silver Anvil Awards for Community Relations in the Association/Nonprofit category.
We’re proud to share this award with A Long Swim and Beth Heller Consulting.

Thank you to our athletes, partners, sponsors, the great city of Chicago, and to everyone who helped make last year’s Chicago River Swim possible.

We can’t wait to do it again. See you at the river this fall. 💙

05/13/2026

“Even if you can’t necessarily see what’s beneath the waves in the Chicago River or Lake Michigan, the fact that these eagles are present, making a home, and raising families here is about as big a validation as you can get that these waterways are truly healthy again.” — Edward Warden, president of the Chicago Ornithological Society

For the first time in a century, history has been made again in Chicago — and this time, we’re not talking about our swim.

Three eaglets were born in Chicago’s South Deering neighborhood, marking a major ecological milestone for the city and further proof that decades of waterway restoration efforts are working.

Read the full story from the Chicago Tribune:

Chicago — particularly the Calumet region — provides ideal habitat for bald eagles because of its extensive waterways.