2008 One Mile Swim a success (6/18/08)

Boston, MA — The annual Charles River One Mile Swim took place on Sunday June 15th with 103 participants, a more than fifty percent increase over the previous year’s field size. “The swim was excellent! I had the best time swimming in the Charles River, the water temperature was perfect,” commented swimmer Guillermo Nuñez.

Overcast skies withheld long enough to launch the race at 8am. By the time the first swimmers had completed the course, just twenty minutes later, a light drizzle turned into a deluge which necessitated the cancellation of the post-race awards ceremony. It was an unusually cold morning for even New England and many swimmers were overheard commenting that it was more comfortable in the water which had benefited from a heat wave the week before.

A post-race event called the Celebratory Splash, organized by the Charles River Conservancy, was also a casualty of the weather. The event was planned to be a brief jump in the river by local celebrities and people who have played an important role in the improvement of the Charles The list included Bob Zimmerman, head of the CRWA, Robert Varney, Regional Administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency’s New England Office, Jarrett Barrios, former State Senator and President of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation, Cambridge Mayor Denise Simmons, Nancy Schönn, sculptor of the Make Way of Ducklings Statue in the Public Gardens, and Renata von Scharner, president of the Charles River Conservancy. “It was unfortunate that the weather did not cooperate for the splash as we had such great supporters joining us on the river,” said Ben Martens, Swimmable Charles Coordinator of the Conservancy.

The Charles River Swimming Club will open registration for next year’s race in March of 2009. “It may be only one day,” said Frans Lawaetz, club president, “but in the not-too-distant future we will see the river embraced like this all summer long.”

The Charles River Swimming Club 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. Its main event is an annual one mile swim in the Charles’ basin. Race sponsors were Community Boating, Charles River Saab, Charles River Canoe and Kayak, Tributes.com, and Cornerstone Properties.

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