Fort Lee Group To Sponsor 2.4-Mile Swim In Hudson

The Fort Lee-based Urban Swim, in conjunction with the Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance (MWA)’s fifth annual City of Water Day Festival, is set to sponsor a 2.4-mile, open-water swim in the Hudson River Saturday.

Urban Swim’s event is one of 15 City of Water Day “In Your Neighborhood” activities taking place during the harbor-wide festival, organizers say.

The swim, which takes place against the backdrop of the New Jersey section of the Palisades Interstate Park and the George Washington Bridge, starts at 8:30 a.m., when swimmers take off about 2.4 miles north of Ross Dock and are expected to start arriving at the dock in the Fort Lee section of the park at about 10:15 a.m. Saturday.

“The City of Water Day Festival is a great event, and we’re thrilled to be part of it,” said co-founders Deanne Draeger and Gerry Louw of Urban Swim in a statement. “The Hudson River, like so many other waterways that make up our harbor, can be used for recreation, education and jobs. City of Water Day is a fun way to introduce this to people here in Fort Lee and throughout the region.”

Proof of a documented open-water swim of 1.2 miles or longer or documented 2-mile pool swim are required for entry. For more information on the Hudson River swim, click here.

The City of Water Day Festival is a daylong, free event that celebrates “all that the New York-New Jersey harbor and waterways could be,” according to organizers.

MWA’s Waterfront Action Agenda is a program of “clear and achievable steps” that aims to create “a healthy, accessible, and dynamic waterfront” and is central to the festival, organizers say.

“We are thrilled that waterfront leadership organizations like Urban Swim are bringing City of Water Day home to people in their communities,” said MWA president and CEO Roland Lewis in a statement. “We are all awakening to the great potential that lies at our water’s edge. Working with Urban Swim and our 650 other alliance partners throughout New York and New Jersey, we aim to make every day City of Water Day.”

In addition to those who take part in Urban Swim’s Hudson River event, more than 20,000 people are expected to participate in various City of Water Day Festival activities at Governors Island, Liberty State Park in New Jersey and other locations across the region. Organizers promise “a day of fun and educational waterfront activities” to include free boat tours, a Waterfront Action Fair, live music, food provided by local vendors and a lot of activities for children.

For more information about the event or to volunteer, visit the City of Water Day Festival’s website or contact the Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance at 212-935-9831 or cworrall@waterfrontalliance.org. 

To volunteer for Urban Swim’s “In Your Neighborhood” event, contact Gerry Louw at 917-653-4962, email him at Gerry@urbanswim.org or click here.

You can also find Urban Swim, which is dedicated to providing safe access to local waterways and supporting the cause of clean water, on Facebook.