Elite Swimmers Compete to Win the Golden Rivet Swim Prize

May 17, 2016

Competitive 6.5 mile swim race from the Golden Gate to McCovey Cove May 22

Judy MacLean, Baykeeper Communications Manager, judy@baykeeper.org 510-735-9700 ext 104 (office), 510-725-2209 (mobile)

Swimmers will race 6.5 miles in San Francisco Bay from the Golden Gate Bridge to McCovey Cove, along the San Francisco waterfront on May 22 in the Golden Rivet Swim, a part of Baykeeper’s Bay Parade event.

Elite swimmers competing include: Kimberley Chambers, who set a new world record, becoming the first woman to swim 30 miles from the Farallon Islands; Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming winner Patti Bauernfeind; and Suzanne Heim-Bowen, record-setting winner of competitive open water swims around the world.

Swimmers will jump from boats at the Golden Gate Bridge at 9:45 AM and swim along the San Francisco waterfront, past the Embarcadero, the Ferry Building, and under the Bay Bridge. The on-the-water finish line will be just outside McCovey Cove. Swimmers will then join the Bay Parade finale in McCovey Cove, in front of the Giant’s baseball stadium at AT&T Park, accompanied by the Bay Parade’s flotilla of paddle boarders, kayakers, and boaters.

Co-hosted with the iconic Dolphin Swimming and Rowing Club of San Francisco, the Golden Rivet Swim promises to be a world-class open water swimming event. Most swimmers will compete on relay teams of four swimmers, and an elite group of men and women of all ages will race 6.5 miles solo. In accordance with international open water swimming rules, swimmers in this race will not wear wetsuits.

San Francisco Bay is home to one of the oldest and most storied open water swimming communities in the country. The Dolphin Club and the San Francisco Bay open water community are enjoying a surge of growth as a new generation discovers the magic of swimming in the Bay, most often without a wetsuit. For the thousands of members of San Francisco’s open water swimming clubs, swimming in the Bay is a near daily ritual.

The Dolphin Club membership is at historic highs, and internationally, interest in open water swimming is even stronger.

Advance visuals now available: Aerial MP4 standard definition video footage of swimmers in the Bay; photos of swimmers in the Bay; and photos of past Bay Parades here. 4K aerial video of swimmers in the Bay available on request.

More information on the Golden Rivet Prize: available here.

More information on Baykeeper’s Bay Parade: available here.

Baykeeper uses science, advocacy, and the law to stop pollution in San Francisco Bay. For more information, visit baykeeper.org.

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