Fifteenth Charles River One Mile Swim

The Charles River One Mile Swim is a one-mile open-water race in Boston. It starts and finishes in the water at The River Dock near the Arthur Fiedler statue by the Hatch Shell on the Esplanade. The race takes place in early June, begins in the morning, uses chip timing, and is open to swimmers age 18 and older. It is part of the United States Masters Swimming New England Open Water Swim Series. Swimmers can earn a series prize by completing five of the seven listed swims. The course is a loop on the Charles River between the Harvard and Longfellow bridges, with the Esplanade alongside much of the swim. The Charles River Swimming Club organizes the event. This club was formed to organize competitive swims and support public swimming in the river. Its first one-mile race in the Charles basin was the first sanctioned public swim there in more than 50 years. The event acknowledges the river cleanup work that began in the mid-1990s. The race often fills up, and volunteers help make the small, tightly managed swim function.