Long Bridge Swim is today
SANDPOINT - Hundreds take to the water today to participate in the 20th annual Long Bridge Swim.
Founded by Eric Ridgway in 1995, the Long Bridge Swim challenges participants to swim from the south end of the Long Bridge to Dog Beach - a distance of 1.76 miles. According to event director Jim Zuberbuhler, the swim, expected to draw around 800 participants, will likely continue past years' success in generating between $10,000 and $15,000 to fund child swimming lessons.
"Our goal is that no kid get past the third grade without knowing how to swim," Zuberbuhler said.
This year will also feature a special appearance from marathon swimmer Elaine Howley, who completed a record-setting 34-mile swim Thursday along the length of Lake Pend Oreille. Howley hasn't announced whether or not she'll be participating in the swim - that likely depends on how quickly she recovers from the exertion of her recent achievement - but Zuberbuhler is looking forward to commemorating her achievement at the event.
Each year, the Long Bridge Swim attracts a huge variety of people from dozens of towns and cities. Several dozen states will be represented in the crowd, as will a half-dozen countries. The estimated 800 participants encompass all swimming skill levels. According to Zuberbuhler, the event usually draws around 50 extremely competitive swimmers who often finish in little more than a half hour. Another 200 participants are well-above-average swimmers gunning for their best possible time.
"Any time under 40 minutes is extremely good," Zuberbuhler said.
On the other hand, there are usually 100 to 150 participants who don't know if they'll complete the swim at all, he added. Those who call it quits part-way through will have ready access to safety supervisors in kayaks and motorboats to help reach the shore.
As for most of the crowd, they usually fall somewhere between the competitive and inexperienced categories, participating in the swim for the fun of it. Most swimmers complete the event in one or two hours, Zuberbuhler said.
As always, managing a coordinated swim is a massive undertaking. Zuberbuhler relies on a strong team of more than 200 volunteers - 150 of them specifically focused on event safety. Volunteers are managed by several department overseers, including Karen McClelland, Starla Staglund, Donnavan Leavitt, Sharon Bistodeau, Keith Hertel, Meleah Nelson, Shawna Prummer, Courtney Sanborn, Wesley Dustman, Suzy Miller, Gina Woodruff and Ridgway. The sheer amount of volunteering keeps the event costs to a minimum, maximizing the amount of money that goes to charity.