20 Bridges Swim – New York Open Water

We are excited to announce dates and information about the 2017 20 Bridges Swim Around Manhattan!

As many of you know, midway through the 2016 open water season, NYOW picked up the baton where NYCSWIM left off and conducted three 20 Bridges (formerly MIMS) events with a 100% success rate. Considering there is a lot involved in planning one of these swims, we’re proud of this accomplishment and look forward to having more time to plan ahead and make the 2017 season great.

Plans for 2017 20 Bridges

For 2017 we are proposing to run three to four 20 Bridges Swims with up to 12 swimmers per event. We have selected four date blocks of between two and six days when these swims will take place. On one of these date blocks we hope to hold a 20 Bridges weekend “festival” with two 20 Bridges swims on consecutive days in order to draw a swimmers from all over the world and celebrate our great sport of marathon swimming; one of the best traditions of MIMS was the large congregation of like-minded people and it’s something we’d like to continue.

20 Bridges Dates

The four date blocks are:
Saturday, June 24 to Sunday, June 25
Friday, July 21 to Monday, July 24
Friday, August 18 to Sunday, August 20
Thursday, September 7 to Friday, September 8

Registration

If you register for 20 Bridges on November 1 we will ask you to order your preference of dates you’d like to participate. If there is a date you cannot make then leave the field blank. By December 1 we will assign you a date for your swim, which will also have a “rain date” option. In other words, you will need to make plans to be in NYC and ready to swim on two consecutive dates.

What about Relays?

One or two slots for two-person relays will be available on all offered dates. Relays are a great way for swimmers new to marathon swimming to get valuable experience in what it’s like to swim a longer event.

Pricing

The cost for 20 Bridges will range between $2500 and $2700 based on the size and comfort of your boat. This cost will include, boat/boater, observer and kayak/kayaker. You will be allowed two crew members. If you have more crew you must make arrangements with the event organizers and the cost will be higher as you will need a larger boat.

The total fee for a two-person relay is $3000.

Withdrawal Policy

* Withdrawal before April 1: swimmer gets a full refund minus a $300 processing fee.
* Withdrawal after April 1: swimmer will loose deposit of $1500 unless we can fill space with someone on the waitlist in which case all will be fully refunded minus a $300 processing fee.
* Withdrawal on event day: Swimmer will loose entire fee. It may be possible to direct some of the funds toward a future swim event.

Fundraising Policy

You are welcome to raise funds for a cause when you swim 20 Bridges as long as you abide by the following guidelines.
* The organization you are raising funds for must be a registered charity or not for profit organization.
* This organization can not represent a religious or political cause.
* All proceeds must go to the charity you are fundraising for. You can not fund your swim through your fundraising efforts.

What can I prepare in advance for the application form?

* Emergency contact name & relationship:
* Emergency contact phone number:
* Medical: History & relevant conditions
* Swimmer Qualifications: provide your swimming resume for distances greater than 10 Km. Include dates, times, conditions (including water temperature) and any web-links to results
* Swimmer Qualifications: List your pace for a one-hour pool swim at marathon pace, and the type of pool (e.g., Long course meters, short course yards)
* Swimmer Qualifications: Provide your feeding plan for a marathon swim

Timeline

November 1 20 Bridges registration opens at 12 PM EDT
December 1 Date assignments will be made.
December 1 Deposit payment is open.
December 15 Deposits are due. Registrants may lose their slot if they are late with this payment and we have a waiting list for that date.
April 1 Final payment balance is due. Crew registration must be completed by this time.

20 Bridges Selection Criteria
The following considerations will be taken to approve and assign swim dates for 20 Bridges applicants.
1. Order received
2. Preferred swim dates
3. Completed qualifying information
4. Field diversity for each date (age, gender, nationality)
5. Swimmer schedule (EC, CC bookings, etc)
6. Participation as a NYOW volunteer

What else is NYOW up to?
The seventh 8 Bridges Hudson River Swim will take place from June 15 to June 22, 2017. Applications for 7-stagers will open on November 1. Applications for all other swimmers will open on December 1. If you would like to swim the entire event please register early as slots for the more popular stages are filled quickly once general registration opens. You can register at this link: https://www.8bridges.org/register/swimmers/

Other Events
Tentative dates for our shorter open water events for 2017 are:
2 Bridges Swim Under the Walkway on Saturday, June 3 2017
Spuyten Duyvil 10K on Sunday, September 17, 2017
Swim Around Governor’s Island (Date TBA)

Like our Facebook page and check our website for updates from time to time.

The 20 bridges include:

Hudson River (date built/length):
1. George Washington Bridge (1931/1,450.85 meters)

Harlem River (date built/length):
2. Spuyten Duyvil Bridge (1899/186 meters)
3. Henry Hudson Bridge (1936/673 meters)
4. Broadway Bridge (1962/170.08 meters)
5. University Heights Bridge (1908/82 meters)
6. Washington Bridge (1888/723.9 meters)
7. Alexander Hamilton Bridge (1963/724 meters)
8. High Bridge (1848/600 meters)
9. 18. Macombs Dam Bridge (1895/774 meters)
10. 145th Street Bridge (1905/489 meters)
11. Madison Avenue Bridge (1910/577 meters)
12. Park Avenue Bridge (1954/100 meters)
13. Third Avenue Bridge (1898/853.44 meters)
14. Willis Avenue Bridge (1901/979 meters)
15. Triborough Bridge (1936/230 meters)
16. Wards Island Bridge (1951/285.6 meters)

East River (date built/length):
17. Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge (1909/1,135 meters)
18. Williamsburg Bridge (1903/2,227.48 meters)
19. Manhattan Bridge (1909/2,089 meters)
20. Brooklyn Bridge (1883/1,825 meters)