For the first time in nearly a century, swimmers took to the open water of the Chicago River on Sunday. Participants in the Chicago River Swim made their way along a one- or two-mile route downtown.

Photos from the Chicago River Swim on Sept. 21, 2025, which raised $100,000 for research into ALS and celebrated the river’s recovery from its polluted past. Swimmers compete in 1st official Chicago ...

Hundreds of people went against a nearly century-long tide to swim in the Chicago River on Sept. 22. The event, which was put on for ALS research, marked the first open water swim in the river in 98 ...

The last open water swimming event on the Chicago River took place 98 years ago. And now it’s back! On Sunday, Sept. 21, 500 swimmers will take on a one-to-two mile stretch of the river to showcase ...

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Hundreds of people are jumping into the Chicago River willingly this weekend. The competitive open water race has been a long time coming downtown. This weekend's Chicago River Swim ...

Why are we asking for donations? Why are we asking for donations? This site is free thanks to our community of supporters. Voluntary donations from readers like you keep our news accessible for ...

The swim was in Chicago. The idea came from Amsterdam. And it was Barrington’s Doug McConnell who was key to propelling the Chicago River Swim into the water Sunday. More than 260 swimmers took the ...

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Dozens of qualified swimmers jumped into the Chicago River on Sunday morning. The Chicago River Swim marked the return of competitive open-water swimming in the river in nearly a ...

CHICAGO — For three Chicago area residents, it’ll soon be time to leave the dry banks of the Riverwalk and immerse themselves in the waters of the Chicago River. Olivia Smoliga, Dr. Derya Ozyurt and ...