Nothing good in life ever comes easy, Think about the last time someone swam in the Chicago River (other than jumping in drunk during St. Pats day). I, and Doug McConnell - A Long Swim, have been working on this goal for over two years. As long as we trained for swimming the English Channel!
As Muhammad Ali said once, the service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth.
How did it feel to finally achieve this important step? Thankful others paved the way, led by Josina Morita, City, MWRD, and Friends of the Chicago River, among them. Humbled knowing this jump took 100 years in the making, almost as long as the cubs to win a world series. You don’t need to eliminate fears or obstacles, they exist, so cross them anyway. Reach the other side One Stroke at a Time!
So where do we go from here? We submit a final application for a full swim in 2019 after the mayoral election, we finish safety planning, we identify key sponsors, raise sponsorship funding, launch an event website, and seek volunteers. We plan to make donations to ALS and Chicago Park District Learn to Swim Program.
Local Channel 7 Chicago News clip of me stroking away down the river in my namesake lime green swim cap: Chicago River Swimming
