Once upon a time, in a land before COVID, a hundred or more misguided souls would embark on a grand adventure each year, swimming from the Sellwood Bridge to the St. Johns Bridge through the middle of downtown Portland. It wasn’t just solo swimmers, no! This was a time when people thought nothing about breathing on each other, so they even did it as 3-person relay teams. When they landed on the beach at Cathedral Park, everybody hugged everybody else. And they were smiling. Which everybody could see because their faces were uncovered. Children, can you imagine such a wonderful thing?
Well imagine it, because THE PORTLAND BRIDGE SWIM IS BACK, BABIES! 2020 was meant to be the 10th-anniversary swim. We canceled the race and put everything in storage, and we waited. In 2021 we waited some more. But this year, we have pulled out the boxes, and dusted off our megaphones. Our crew of organizers and bosses are still here and everybody is so excited to get back on the river on race day. We currently have 73 solo swimmers and 18 relay teams registered and can’t wait to see them swim.
This year we’re trying to rebuild the energy after our hiatus, and are in deep need of volunteers to work as race officials, lifeguards, escort kayakers, and of course many land volunteers. If you can help us out, please email portlandbridgeswim@gmail.com
Please join us on Sunday, July 10, 2022. We need you to volunteer, and we need you to come to cheer for our swimmers. Come celebrate our return to the river, and just come let us see your faces. We’ve missed you!
LETS GOOOOOOO! I can’t wait.