Portland Bridge Swim - results index

The Portland Bridge Swim is an 11-mile (17-kilometer) swim race in the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon. The route passes under all 12 of Portland's bridges, starting at the Sellwood Bridge and finishing at the St. John's Bridge. The event was founded by Marisa Frieder in 2011. In 2018 it was the USMS Open Water Ultramarathon National Championship. It 2019, 2020, and 2021 it was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Starting in 2022, the organizer changed the rules to require swimmers to wear tow floats. Prior to this year, the event followed unassisted marathon swimming rules.

Portland Bridge Swim route
Route Swims Fastest
Sellwood Bridge to St Johns Bridge 440 Eddie Switaj - 03:37:20 (2015)

View data by year:

  • 2011 (12 finishers)
  • 2012 (20 finishers)
  • 2013 (36 finishers)
  • 2015 (53 finishers)
  • 2016 (35 finishers)
  • 2017 (40 finishers)
  • 2018 (68 finishers)
  • 2019 (71 finishers)
  • 2022 (45 finishers)
  • 2023 (60 finishers)



Reviews

Reviewer: Sarah Swoch (August 2023)
Swam in 2023 (Finished). Entry fee: 300 USD
OVERALL: ★️★️★️★️★️
Organization: ★️★️★️★️★️
Route/Course: ★️★️★️★️★️
Social Activities: ★️★️★️★️✩️
Cost/Value: ★️★️★️★️★️
Comments: "I had an epic time swimming 11 miles under all the bridges in Portland. The river in 2023 was a fantastic 73 degrees warming up to 77 in places near the finish. There is a great open water community in Portland and I had no trouble meeting other swimmers at Selwood Park to swim in the days before the race. Organization was wonderful with lots of safety in place on race day (safety boats, tow floats, reflective vests for kayakers). Packet pick up was done with careful checks to be sure each swimmer and kayaker had everything they needed. The race director was so kind and responsive with all my questions and problems. The trophies are top notch too, beautiful pieces of art. I would caution anyone that the "current assist" is not always present. During my swim we started against the tide and I absolutely would have gone backwards in the first few miles if I hadn't done very quick swimming feeds. Once the tide changed there was a nice current assist. This will be different from year to year, but be aware and train appropriately (and plan your relay swimmers in accordance with the tides that suit them best). From sign-up to finish I had a great experience and would recommend this swim to anyone looking for a fresh water west coast adventure swim."


Reviewer: anonymous+verified (August 2023)
Swam in 2017 (Finished). Entry fee: about 200 USD
OVERALL: ★️★️★️★️★️
Organization: ★️★️★️★️✩️
Route/Course: ★️★️★️★️★️
Social Activities: ★️★️★️★️★️
Cost/Value: ★️★️★️★️★️
Comments: "It took a little bit of time for the race to start, but overall this was a good experience. The race was very scenic and swimming under historic bridges was cool. Also, the swim community was very welcoming. My only question is why did they serve jambalaya after the swim?"


Reviewer: brad robinson (August 2023)
Swam in 2019 (Finished). Entry fee: don't recall.
OVERALL: ★️★️★️★️★️
Organization: ★️★️★️★️★️
Route/Course: ★️★️★️★️★️
Social Activities: ★️★️★️★️✩️
Cost/Value: ★️★️★️★️✩️
Comments: "incredibly well organized! from the check-in the day before, to the launch, and the finish, it was smooth. the producers have a well-oiled event. i highly encourage people to do this swim! plus it is just awesome swimming in a river and going under all 12 bridges!"


Reviewer: anonymous+verified (August 2023)
Swam in 2016 (Finished). Entry fee: Unsure
OVERALL: ★️★️★️✩️✩️
Organization: ★️★️★️✩️✩️
Route/Course: ★️★️★️★️★️
Social Activities: ★️★️★️✩️✩️
Cost/Value: ★️★️★️★️★️
Comments: "Currently too many extra safety theater rules, (tow floats required). Race finish and cutoff times unfriendly to slower swimmers. Rental kayaks are open cockpit, so nowhere for kayakers to pee or switch out during the entire swim."


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