The Coast-to-Coast Swim Challenge will unite Southern California athletes to collectively swim 2,462 miles – the distance between Los Angeles and New York City – in a single day, in a single pool. Beyond making a splash with a new world-record attempt for the most swimming miles by a group in one day, the unprecedented aquatic feat is being held to promote water safety and raise funds for a free swim instruction program that benefits children in Los Angeles.
The event will take place on Sunday, May 22, from 5 a.m. to midnight at the Culver City Plunge aquatic center at 4175 Overland Ave., Culver City.
“We are extremely grateful to the Culver City Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Services, which has wholeheartedly embraced this one-of-a-kind fundraiser and provided us with a great venue in the Culver City Plunge,” said the founder of Southern California Aquatics (SCAQ), Clay Evans.
L.A. Tri Club and SCAQ members will be joined by athletes from local high school and college teams, as well as friends and family, for a non-stop marathon of lap swimming. To complete the distance of 2,462 miles, more than 1,500 individual swimmers are expected to complete lap intervals that range between half a mile to two-and-a-half miles or more miles each.
“We are fortunate to live in an area with great access to pools and the ocean, yet the region’s drowning statistics for children are truly frightening,” said Larry Turkheimer, co-founder of LA Tri Club. “Drowning surpasses all other causes of death among children age 14 and under in California, while Los Angeles County has by far the highest rate of near-drowning of any county in the state. The Coast-to-Coast Swim Challenge is a way for our members and other Southern California swimmers to help reduce these tragic numbers by making free swim instruction available to children in our community who otherwise might not be able to learn how to be safe in the water.”
Participants in the Coast-to-Coast Swim Challenge will also have the rare opportunity to swim alongside professional athletes and former Olympians. Professional triathlete Jim Lubinski will lead a run for Coast-to-Coast participants following his swim at 10:30 a.m.
Swimmers will sign up for one or more 30-minute stages and will receive lane assignments with swimmers of similar speed. All swimmers must register in advance and may request, but are not guaranteed, specific swim times.
“Because we know there are long-distance swimmers who will want to rack up extra miles for the cause, we’ve set aside 75 spots exclusively for ‘launchers’ and ‘closers’ at the beginning and end of the Coast-to-Coast Swim Challenge,” Turkheimer said. “These exclusive spots are filling up fast and we expect to sell out shortly. We encourage all swimmers to register early to claim their lane in this epic event.”
The event will also include an expo and food trucks throughout the day. Entry prices range from $25-$65. For information or to register for the event, visit coast2coastswim.com.