There are selective open water races around the world that have grown to become immensely popular and quickly sell out.
The 17.2 km Portland Bridge Swim (@portlandbridgeswim) down the Willamette River through the heart of Portland, Oregon is one of those sell-out swims. Open to 100 swimmers, the portal to registration opens up and the lucky 100, along with a waiting list, is generated.
Marisa Frieder went from becoming the first person to complete the Portland Bridge Swim in 2010 to growing the most popular marathon swimming race on the West Coast of America. When she completed her pioneering swim in 2010, it led to profound changes. “That swim changed my life. It gave me arm muscles I’d never had. It showed me personal strength that I didn’t know was inside me, and it opened up my life to this race. Organizing the Portland Bridge Swim gave me job skills that I’ve used to move forward. The race has allowed me touch peoples’ lives in ways I really, really love, and I get to change my city by challenging our relationship with the river.”
48-year-old Casey Ketterling and 25-year-old Addie Paige won their respective divisions at the 2025 event that served as the USMS Ultramarathon Open Water National Championship on its annual date in mid-July. The year before, 32-year-old Ilsa Feierabend won overall in 4 hours 10 minutes.
As advertised, the race spans 12 bridges over 17.2 km in 70°F (21°C) water for 100 lucky swimmers under the leadership of event director Daniela Klaz.
2025 Portland Bridge Swim Results
1. Casey Ketterling 48, Western Springs IL 4:02:53.9
2. Kevin Doherty 52, Portland OR 4:04:39.4
3. Lukas Scheidl 25, Seattle WA 4:08:34.9
4. Jamie Proffitt 60, Palm Springs CA 4:12:07.7
5. David Lederman 59, Santa Cruz CA 4:17:02.9
6. Jonathan Wildi 42, Portland OR 4:17:40.8
7. Scot Sullivan 59, Portland OR 4:19:56.0
8. Patrick Reyes 31, South Kingstown RI 4:20:16.0
9. Addie Paige 25, Seattle WA 4:25:00.7 – 1st woman
10. Kaelan Oldani 27, Seattle WA 4:26:28.5 – 2nd woman
11. Mark Johnston 65, Polson MT 4:28:27.7
12. Andrew Cotter 31, San Francisco CA 4:30:28.1
13. Samantha Kraft 29, Minneapolis MN 4:32:42.3 – 3rd woman
14. Jonathan Samuel 48, Portland OR 4:36:32.7
15. Jorge Agudelo 34, Tulúa Colombia 4:37:00.5
16. Eleanor Smith 18, Tacoma WA 4:38:01.2 – 4th woman
17. Andreas Lorenz 64, Houston TX 4:39:30.5
18. Rob Palmese 35, Redlands CA 4:39:48.1
19. Heidi Williams 56, Durham NC 4:40:25.5 – 5th woman
20. Francisco Felix 26, Burien WA 4:40:34.4
21. Fredric Zaeske 61, Downers Grove IL 4:43:18.2
22. Denise Simens 38, Seattle WA 4:43:23.2 – 6th woman
23. Daniel Schmiegel 25, Arcata CA 4:48:22.8
24. Jonas Veazey 29, SAN FRANCISCO CA 4:48:42.8
25. Hallie Pound 29, Lacey WA 4:50:41.2 – 7th woman
26. Emma Gaulke-Janowski 33, Seattle WA 4:51:37.0 – 8th woman
27. Ilsa Feierabend 33, Clackamas OR 4:51:53.9 – 9th woman
28. Cheyenne Gallivan 30, Brunswick ME 4:52:01.4 – 10th woman
29. Dillon Cleavenger 33, Kneeland CA 4:52:48.0
30. Eric Kearney 48, Portland OR 4:53:22.8
31. Shane Stender 47, Normandy Park WA 4:53:57.7
32. Kris Rutford 66, Lincoln NE 4:55:22.5
33. Steve Lazaraton 55, Redding CA 4:57:29.6
34. Jillian Rice 28, San Francisco CA 5:00:01.8
35. Alyssa Barkley 38, Paso Robles CA 5:00:03.4
36. Amy Fischer 50, Clovis CA 5:00:39.6
37. David Kline 30, Chicago IL 5:01:05.1
38. Kelly Hilman 35, Pittsburgh PA 5:01:48.5
39. Ross Vimr 39, Portland OR 5:01:59.4
40. Blake Anghilante 44, The Dalles OR 5:04:33.6
41. Daniel Cepeda 29, Darien IL 5:06:05.7
42. Nani Welsh 26, Seattle WA 5:06:48.3
43. Jing Li 37, Pacifica CA 5:06:59.0
44. Peter Iannone 34, San Francisco CA 35:07:04.1
45. Allison Burr 30, Salem OR 5:07:13.1
46. Vincent Mingils 34, Fort Collins CO 5:07:50.9
47. Max Thompson 19, Portland OR 5:07:56.2
48. Manon Francois 30, Menlo Park CA 5:09:14.5
49. David Brancamp 64, Reno NV 5:11:26.2
50. Andrew Del Carlo 38, Talent OR 5:11:52.6
51. Janet Goodridge 63, Western Springs IL 5:12:30.2
52. Erin Tyler 46, Newport OR 5:13:57.8
53. Todd Lantry 50, Ashland OR 5:15:39.7
54. Lee O’Connor 58, PORTLAND OR 5:18:18.1
55. Nicole Hirschman 52, Saint James NY 5:18:36.3
56. Gillian Salton 57, Bend OR 5:20:58.6
57. Carly Miller 47, Gardena CA 5:21:41.8
58. Kelly Vikstrom 49, Issaquah WA 5:23:15.9
59. Claire van Biljon 23, Wildwood MO 5:25:46.1
60. Gregg Horwitz 55, Valencia CA 5:26:17.8
61. Lisa Broadfield 47, Chula Vista CA 5:26:26.2
62. Ken Hahn 51, Bend OR 5:26:58.5
63. Leksi Weldon-Linne 42, San Francisco CA 5:28:46.3
64. Becky Cleavenger 62, Camarillo CA 5:29:12.2
65. Sarah Lane 48, Tacoma WA 5:29:49.5
66. Angela Williamson 41, Portland OR 5:30:00.9
67. Shannon Keegan 51, Talent OR 5:30:33.4
68. Megan Tosh 40, Portland OR 5:32:11.0
69. Tammy Fisher 42, Hermiston OR 5:33:58.9
70. Alison Aylesworth 48, Burien WA 5:36:56.9
71. Sarah Applegate 55, Wenatchee WA 5:41:32.2
72. Steve Stoneham 54, Vancouver WA 5:43:45.7
73. Brianna Sargent Merrill 45, Candia NH 5:45:44.5
74. Stephanie Zimmerman 39, Seattle WA 5:46:47.8
75. Michael Collins 63, Salem OR 35:46:54.1
76. Cheryl Morgen 56, Bend OR 5:48:43.0
77. Mary Ellen Spencer 31, Portland OR 5:54:01.1
78. Katy Smith 44, Tacoma WA 35:58:53.1
79. Chloe Jaques 24, Portland OR 5:59:03.2
80. Jody House 55, Hillsboro OR 6:01:48.4
81. Noah Heilbrun 45, Bend OR 6:03:36.0
82. Carli Cota 39, Rochester MN 6:07:30.9
83. Sarah Machado 42, Cashmere WA 6:10:38.5
84. Phil Boyer 39, Wenatchee WA 6:21:52.0
85. Marnie Whitley 56, Phoenix AZ 6:22:08.4
86. Linda Longfellow 47, Fresno CA 6:25:10.2
87. Samuel Jensen 26, Portland OR 6:29:16.1
88. John Fox 57, Huntsville AL 6:41:28.9
89. John Gibbon 62, San Francisco CA 6:43:47.2
90. Gianluca D’Alessandro 56, Issaquah WA 6:45:02.5
91. Mike Healey 72, Troutdale OR 6:45:55.9
92. Jackson Rittenhouse 28, Bremerton WA 6:53:03.0
93. Tomasz Janczyk 33, Issaquah WA 6:59:27.7
94. Paul Havick 64, Washington UT 7:07:02.0
DNF David Poulshock 77, Portland OR
DNF Devan Nielsen 62, Novato CA
DNF Lawrence Ahlgren 71, St James NY
DNF Eric Gutierrez 64, Prunedale CA
SND McKinlee Hand 32, Seattle WA
DNS Brendan Lyons-Keefe 44, Vancouver WA
For more information, visit portlandbridgeswim.com.
© 2025 Daily News of Open Water Swimming
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