Megan Wallitsch

BOSTON – The Charles River Swimming Club hosted its annual Charles River Swim Saturday, June 6th, with a record number of participants.

“We sell out early, so we know it’s popular,” said former safety director Patrick Costello. This year, the organization filled all 220 slots they had for registration.

Over the years, what started with 67 swimmers has grown tremendously, according to the race director Kate Radbille. 

Prior to the race, 201 athletes gathered on the esplanade where they stretched, put on their suits, and mingled with other competitors. Music played in the background, adding to the energy. Swimmers were then briefed on the race’s course and the safety precautions that were in effect.

The event, which is sanctioned by US Master’s Swimming, receives a lot of input on safety guidelines from experts, according to Radbille. To ensure the safety of participants, Radbille and safety director, Jen Downing, communicate with a team of kayakers and certified lifeguards in the water, as well as access the Coast Guard’s broadcast and a motorized boating craft patrolling the Charles during the event.

Swimmers were also given pre-sighting lines to help them stay on course during their swims, according to Kathleen Bailer, 59. “It was just so cool swimming and seeing the buildings, and sighting from the buildings,” Bailer said. Throughout the day, many athletes and volunteers commended the event for how organized it was, including Bailer.

For many participants, the idea of swimming in the Charles alone was enough to draw them to the race. “It’s an opportunity to swim in the Charles,” Haley Ohlson, 26, said. “Why wouldn’t we be here?”

Ohlson and her friends and fellow participants, Saskia Wong-Smith, 25, and Suzy Ryckman, 26, wanted to appreciate that they were able to swim in the Charles in the city. This unique experience is what Costello thinks keeps people coming back year after year. “Wouldn’t anybody want to swim in the Charles?” Costello joked.

The race started right on schedule with the first wave of swimmers taking off at 8 a.m. Swimmers were happy to find great conditions for their swims. “The water was perfect temperature. Everyone was super happy, jazzed to be there,” Claire Thomas, 40, who came in first overall for the women, said.

Not only was the water temperature ideal at around 70 degrees, it was also smooth with no wind or waves. There was also a bit of cloud cover to block the sun and help swimmers with their sighting. The water was clean and swimmable, a quality the organization strives to maintain, according to Radbille. 

The group aims to raise awareness about efforts to clean up the Charles and keep the river clean. This swim serves as a way for members, residents of Boston, and swimmers to celebrate the cleanliness of the Charles. The Charles River Swim reminds the public that while the river is swimmable most of the time, everyone needs to work together to make the river swimmable all of the time.

By 8:23 a.m., all swimmers in both heats had cleared zone one and were making their way back to the start of the race. At the same time, athletes in the first wave were ending their race. Eric Nilsson, 38, finished first with a time of 21:57. Alan Svenson, 59, and Mark Lipkin, 24, were close behind him in second and third with times of 22:49 and 23:15.

“It really hurt, more than I had hoped, but I think just to do it is all I asked, and it’s done, so I’m happy,” Lipkin said.

Another goal of the Charles River Swimming Club is to expand opportunities for people to swim in the Charles and get involved with the sport in general, according to Radbille. “I don’t think a year should go by between opportunities to swim,” Radbille said.

Participants of varying capabilities participate in the swim, making it one of the more accessible swims for participants. Some participants, like Ohlson, Bailer and Lipkin have backgrounds with swimming in college and in the world of open water. For them, the experience of swimming in the Charles and interacting in the city in this way was enough to get them to sign up.

“I think it's really accessible, like right in the heart of the city, which makes it easy for people to get to,” Lipkin said. “It’s an easy temperature so you don’t need to pay for a wetsuit or anything. It has all levels of swimmers, and it’s also raising awareness to keep sewage out of the water and keep the Charles clean.”

Other participants, such as John Stafford, 24, and Eric Zeibergh, 26, have less extensive swim experience but still felt comfortable enough to come out and see what they could do. “It’s just more about the experience and seeing what I can do,” Zeibergh said.

The Charles River Swim is recommended as a good way to get back into the sport, or even enter the sport of open water swimming for the first time, by participants. “This was my first open water swimming race that I participated in, and since then I’ve gone on to do much longer swims, so I think this is like really good for someone who’s interested in maybe getting started,” Nicole Johnson, 26, said.

Johnson has done the race three times and the swim’s atmosphere keeps her coming back. “This is usually my first swim of the year in open water, like as a race, so I always look forward to this one,” Johnson said.

Following the swim, awards were given out as other members of the club began setting up for the event’s third annual open water water polo scrimmage. As players took to the water, spectators lined the dock to watch the match.

If you are looking for a well-organized event in the Boston area for a variety of experience levels, the Charles River Swim couldn’t come more recommended.

To see more coverage of the Charles River Swim and learn more about other open water swimming events, follow us on instagram and tiktok @beavertailopenwater.