History will be made on the Chicago River this fall with the Chicago River Swim

The Chicago River.
The Chicago River. Photo credit Mike Tish

CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — The Chicago River has been long known for its not-so-great water quality, whether it was pollution, carp or the infamous Dave Matthews Band's tour bus waste. In 2016, though, Chicago made a pledge: Swimmers would be able to dip into the river by 2030.

This fall, 500 qualified swimmers will return to the river for the first time in more than a century as part of the Chicago River Swim, a fundraiser for Lou Gehrig’s disease (ALS).

“For anyone who has grown up around Chicago, it just makes their head explode,” said organizer Doug McConnell.

Doug McConnell, who organized the Chicago River Swim through his nonprofit A Long Swim, which he co-founded with his sister Ellen in 2011 to raise money for ALS.
Doug McConnell, who organized the Chicago River Swim through his nonprofit A Long Swim, which he co-founded with his sister Ellen in 2011 to raise money for ALS. Photo credit A Long Swim

He said the changes in the Chicago River over the past decades have been “nothing short of incredible.”

“You start to look at some of the statistics — not only the bacteria levels and so forth — but the number of species of fish have grown tenfold in those same 50 years,” he said. “The water quality is so much better.”

The Chicago River Swim will take place on Sept. 22. The course will begin between the Clark and Dearborn street bridges and make a one-mile-long loop.

Doug McConnell directs a group of swimmers about to participate in one of A Long Swim's open water fundraiser swims.
Doug McConnell directs a group of swimmers about to participate in one of A Long Swim's open water fundraiser swims, which the nonprofit organizes to help fund ALS research. Photo credit A Long Swim

"There will be 100 safety personnel on the water in kayaks, row boats, safety boats and so forth, as well as on the shore," he said.

McConnell — himself a Chicago native and Triple Crown swimmer — organized the event through his nonprofit A Long Swim, which he co-founded with his sister Ellen in 2011 to raise money for ALS. Their father died from the disease and, in 2006, Ellen was diagnosed with ALS, a disease she lived with for 12 years.

A swimmer participates in A Long Swim's open water swim in Lake Michigan.
A swimmer participates in A Long Swim's open water swim in Lake Michigan. Photo credit A Long Swim

Since its inception, A Long Swim has raised $2 million for ALS research through a series of open water swims that have taken place in Lake Michigan and Lake Zurich, as well as McConnell’s own swims of the English Channel, Tampa Bay and other iconic bodies of water.

For the Chicago River Swim, participants will start between the Clark and Dearborn Street bridges and navigate a looped course between State Street on the east to Wolf Point on the west. Spectators are encouraged to be part of the historic event with a family-friendly Finish Festival near the Clark Street Bridge.

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Featured Image Photo Credit: Mike Tish