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 experie

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