Everything Lower Willamette
Hello! This Page is a cache for everything Lower Willamette-related.
UPDATE: Swim was a resounding success on July 23, 2022! Woohoo!
If you are interested in completing the same swim, please reach out in the comments. I am happy to assist with information, planning, or crewing.
The big question I get asked about why I chose to swim that section of river (and why I'm doing it again)?
The simple answer is: I love swimming. Like, biggest love of my life. I love swimming outdoors and in the rivers surrounding Portland.
Unfortunately, there is not equitable access to our rivers or to swim/water safety instruction. I see my swimming as a vehicle to raise awareness, and sometimes money, to support a vision where all Portlanders have safe and equitable access to our waterways. To me, safety means clean beaches, docks with access points, safe water quality, and free swim instruction resources. As to why the Lower Willamette from Clackamas to the Columbia... well, that's pretty simple. It's there and its a long uninterrupted stretch of river that cuts right through the heart of Portland and communities to the south. It's a challenging distance both mentally and physically, and I love challenges. It's also not been done before as far as I can tell. I do not doubt that someone has swum this route in the past, but I cannot find any documentation of this and have not heard (by word of mouth) of anyone completing it. If you know of someone who has previously completed this swim, please let me know, I want to credit their accomplishment and learn from their experience.
You can find the link to my blog post here:
and related post:
I am currently planning to repeat the swim using following Marathon Swimmers Federation guidelines in 2022.
More information on MSF and the guidelines on the website is available here: https://marathonswimmers.org/
Feel free to comment with any questions.
See you in the river!
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