Courtesy of James Loreto, Potomac River, Washington D.C.

A popular marathon swim in America is the 17.2 km Portland Bridge Swim that runs through Portland, Oregon down the Willamette River.

The course was pioneered by Marisa Frieder in 2010. The event then quickly started to take off in 2011 and became the longest stage of the Oregon Open Water Series.

With a similar goal in mind on the opposite coast of America, Jim Loreto and Denis Crean completed a 33 km (20.5 mile) swim down the Potomac River from the Chain Bridge in northern Washington D.C. to Mount Vernon, Virginia.

It was the first known swim along this route. With their success will be site of the annual DC Marathon Swim) organized by Crean and Loreto. “The inaugural DC Marathon Swim is a 20.5-mile course in the Potomac River through America’s capitol. Swimmers go from Chain Bridge to the shore of George and Martha Washington’s estate at Mt. Vernon. Swim through time and make history.

The swim date will be during first week of October 2020. The race is open to 10-15 qualified swimmers and relays chosen by lottery. All swimmers must be supported by crew, power boat, kayak/paddleboard if requested, and an official observer. The estimated cost will be US$1,700 – US$2,200.”

For more information and background, visit here.

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