Different locale doesn't dampen Chicago River Swim turnout

CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) - Sunday morning's downpours didn't seem to bother swimmers at Ohio Street Beach, who gathered for the first Chicago River Swim that was not in the river.

Thousands of swimmers from took off to mark the start of the inaugural Chicago River Swim

"It's nice to be in Chicago, just get away for a weekend,” one participant told WBBM.

"This is a lake that I particularly like because it's absolutely clear, it's very clean, and you can see the bottom,” another swimmer said.

The event was supposed to take place in the Chicago River, but, after the city denied a permit due to safety concerns, organizers had to quickly change plans.

"It happens that this year we, frankly, kind of ran out of time at the very end and decided to compromise and come over to Lake Michigan,” Chicago River Swim founder Doug McConnell said.

McConnell said the River Swim raises both funds and awareness for ALS research. His father and sister both died from the disease.

"Swimming is sort of the perfect counterbalance to ALS, just because instead of losing your muscles as the ALS patient does, for swimming, you have to use them all,” McConnell said.

Although the event didn't go quite as planned, he said he was overwhelmed by the response.

"It sort of puts Chicago in a fairly short list of visionary cities with Oslo and Munich and even Portland, Oregon, and I think Chicago wants to be in that group, too,” McConnell said.

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