"Big Jump" kicks off second annual Chicago River Swim weekend
Beach season is over in Chicago, but the Chicago River was the place to be on Friday morning, as local leaders, former Olympians, and everyday people took the plunge together.
It was the Big Jump, a kickoff event for the Chicago River Swim this weekend.
"Some people called it a crazy idea for a period of time to be able to put swimmers back into the Chicago River," Chicago River Swim CEO Doug McConnell said.
Dr. Abhilasha Shrestha with the University of Illinois Chicago tested the water to make sure it was safe before the Big Jump.
"We just got the results out for this morning's testing, and it's all good to go for the 10 a.m. Big Jump event," Shrestha said.
Last year's inaugural Chicago River Swim was the first open swim event in the Chicago River in 95 years.
Before Sunday's second annual Chicago River Swim comes the Big Jump, a rare sanctioned chance to plunge into the Chicago River.
Shrestha doesn't know how to swim, but her research assistant, Will Kane, does, and he joined the Big Jump on Friday.
"It's actually quite nice. It's warmer than I think some of the times I swam in the lake," he said.
The lab collected samples from the Chicago River over the past few weeks to confirm the water is within U.S. EPA limits.
"There has been a lot of effort in cleaning up the river in the past two decades, and I think what we are seeing now is the result of all the advocacy and the cleaning up, and it's really good compared to what it was 30 years ago," Shrestha said
Years ago, it would have been a questionable leap of faith to swim in the Chicago River, but now it's backed by science.
"It says that they believe the science behind it, and they believe the testing that I am doing," Shrestha said.
Researchers have tested the waters in more ways than one, and they hope to replicate the results.
"Maybe next year I'll learn how to swim and jump," Shrestha said.
The Big Jump and the Chicago River Swim raise money for ALS research. The events also support swim lessons and the importance of water-safety education.
