Rainfall causes cancelation of 2009 swim (6/21/2009)

BOSTON, MA (6/21/2009) The Charles River Swimming Club, Inc. announced the cancellation of their 2009 swimming race due to rain.

The race, which was supposed to have taken place on Sunday, June 21st, was to be the third of its kind. The club held successful races in 2008 and 2007. The at-capacity race had attracted 150 swimmers from around New England and was to be the largest to date.

“Safety is of utmost importance to the club and the state agencies with whom we work. A dimension of our permit is a specific rainfall allowance between the time of the last water sample and the time of the race. Unfortunately this year the threshold was exceeded by Friday afternoon with additional rainfall in the forecast, forcing us to cancel the race. ” said Ulla Hester, race director.

There is no rain date for this year however the club expects to pursue a 2010 race.

“While much work remains to be done on the Charles, it’s important that people understand that the rain cancellation was a cautionary move. All water samples leading up to and including what would have been race day came back within swimming standards,” said club president Frans Lawaetz.

Race day water testing is not possible as samples take 24 hours to process.

The Charles River Swimming Club, Inc., was founded in 2005 with the dual purpose of organizing competitive swimming events in the Charles River and facilitating the return of public river swimming.

Media contact:  raceinfo@charlesriverswimmingclub.org

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