Memorial swims are swimming events or races that serve as a focus for memory of something or someone, usually someone who is deceased. Memorial swims include events that celebrate the legacy of a race founder, commemorate a spectacular achievement, call attention to a local individual or young person who died tragically in the water, or raise awareness of a personable or inspirational athlete, coach or administrator.
Most memorial swims incorporate the name of the individual in the event title. Sometimes, funds are raised to support a preferred charity of the individual. is the gravestone or the memorial plaque.
Don Burns (shown on left) is an example of one of the exemplary individuals. Burns taught and coached at Newport Harbor High School in Newport Beach, California for 31 years in addition to being a lifeguard at the beach for 47 years.
Personable with a permanent smile on his face, Burns died from a heart arrhythmia, but his legacy lives on with the Don Burns Mile, annually conducted in Newport Beach. Other memorial swims around the world include the following:
- Aaron Vaughn Memorial 1K Open Water Swim
- Arthur Dunne Memorial Cup
- Ballydavid
- Ben Hair Memorial Lake Anna Open Water Swim
- Bente Weber Memorial Swim (Nevis to St. Kitts Cross-Channel Swim)
- Bente Weber Memorial Swim
- Betsy Owens Memorial Swim
- Bill Earley Memorial Open Water Swim
- Boyd Memorial Swim
- Brent Rice Memorial Swim of the Sound
- Brian Curtis Mile
- Bud Beatty Memorial 2-Mile Swim
- Carlin Soule Memorial Polar Bear Dip
- Crippen Sunset Mile
- Cyril Duff Memorial Race
- Dave Martin Memorial Swim
- Don Burns Memorial Swim (Don Burns shown above)
- Ederle Swim
- Frances Thornton Memorial Galway Bay Swim
- Fran Schnarr Memorial 5K Open Water Championships
- Fran Schnarr Memorial Metropolitan Open Water Age Group Championships
- Frances Thornton Memorial Galway Bay Swim
- Frogman Memorial Swim
- Graeme Thompson Memorial Cup
- International Masters Open Water Swim Race
- Jim Doty Memorial Mile Swim
- Jim McDonnell Memorial Lake Swims Clinic
- John Boyd Memorial Swim
- Maggie Fischer Memorial Great South Bay Cross Bay Swim
- Martin Duggan Memorial Swim
- Memorial Nino Sofi
- Michele Daschbach Fast Memorial Ocean Swim
- Murray Dingle Bridge to Bridge Swim
- Randy Caddell Memorial Swim
- Ray Licata Memorial Long Branch Ocean Mile Swim
- Rose Pitonof Swim
- Steve Omi Memorial Open Water Swim
- The 1580 Memorial Massacre Swim
- Tom Wear Memorial Swim
- Tom Wear Memorial Swim and Colonies Zone 1 Mile Open Water Championship
- Tony Ryan Memorial Bay Swim
- 28 Czech Republic Championship + 37 Memorial Miroslav Kroufka, Pardubice, Czech Republik
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