The East River provided a choppy challenge for an international crop of intrepid swimmers who crawled, breast-stroked and butterflied their way to the finish line, garnering major bragging rights during the fourth annual Brooklyn Bridge Swim.
Four hundred daring dipsters joined aquatic forces for the one-kilometer swim through the turbulent waterway, beginning on the Manhattan side at East River Park and finishing up at the beach at Brooklyn Bridge Park. Though a short course, it is not for the faint-hearted because swimmers must cross the river instead of being facilitated by the tidal assist available in events that run upstream or downstream.
The event, which helps raise public awareness of the waters that surround New York and supports efforts to clean and protect them, also featured the Battle of the Bridge with Team Brooklyn squaring off against Team Manhattan for the Roebling Cup, named in honor of Brooklyn Bridge designer John Roebling.
The winning team was undetermined at press time.
