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Bridge swim

More than 300 swimmers from around the world will cross the East River in the shadow of the Brooklyn Bridge as part of the third annual Brooklyn Bridge Swim, September 6 starting at 8:45 a.m.

The Brooklyn Bridge Swim is organized by the Manhattan Island Foundation, and presented by RCN. The winner is expected to finish at approximately 9 a.m. Arrangements to ride on a press boat must be made in advance.

The one-kilometer event will start on the Manhattan side, in East River Park (at the corner of Dover Street and South Street, just north of South Street Seaport). Participants will swim under the Brooklyn Bridge towards the waterfall, and then turn east along the seawall to the finish line in Brooklyn Bridge Park, exiting the water at the beach just below the Manhattan Bridge (near the corner of Washington and Plymouth streets).

Though the course is short, it is also challenging, as swimmers must cross the river, rather than being pushed along by the tidal assist available in events that run upstream or downstream.

The Brooklyn Bridge Swim also features the Battle of the Bridge, a race-within-a-race pitting a team of Brooklyn swimmers against a team of Manhattan swimmers, with the winner taking home the Roebling Cup, named in honor of the bridge’s designer, John Roebling. So far the Borough of Kings has extended its domain into the waters, taking home the cup in the first two races. But the Manhattan team is hungry for revenge.

In addition to the Roebling Cup, awards will be presented to the top overall men and women, and the top swimmers in each age group.

For more, go to www.nycswim.org or call 888-NYC-SWIM.