The info on this page has been pulled from a variety of sources and experiences. If you have a question or would like to suggest an answer, please email info@portlandbridgeswim.com, or visit our Contact Us page.
Q: What’s your plan for safety?
Swimmers are required to have an escort in a non-motorized craft (kayak, SUP) in a life vest and equipped with an additional life vest for the swimmer. Each escort will be provided additional mandatory race-specific safety materials. Swimmers MUST wear the brightly-colored swim cap and use the tow float provided in their race packet. Swimmers and escorts must follow all announced safety rules without exception.
Safety boats will monitor the entire course and Race Officials in kayaks will travel with swimmers to coordinate in an emergency.
Time Limit: Swimmers who cannot complete one mile in open water in 35 minutes should NOT enter. Swimmers must clear the Fremont Bridge (approximately 5.5 miles) within 4 hours of the race start time and must complete the swim within 7 1/2 hours of the race start. Any swimmers on the course after these time limits may be stopped and listed as DNF in the results.
For more information, see Safety.
Q: What if I don’t have a kayak?
Swimmers must provide their own kayak and escort kayaker. A limited number of kayaks are available for rent at race registration. Kayak rental, provided by our friends at Alder Creek, includes boat, paddle, and 2 life jackets. Boats will be dropped off for you to pick up at the race start. At the end of the race, leave the boat with us in Cathedral Park and Alder Creek Kayak will take it from there.
Q: How are you improving accessibility for your event?
We’re working on improving our event for universal accessibility:
We have ASL interpreters at the start and finish! If you need to have an interpreter on the water with you as a swimmer or paddler, please email us (info@portlandbridgeswim.com) so we’re able to coordinate with our wonderful ASL interpreter community to find the best solution. You will NOT BE TURNED AWAY from our race if you are hearing impaired.
Although we have not (knowingly) had a vision-impaired swimmer, we are happy for you to join our event. We are open to tethered guide swimmers accompanying you (and can help you find one), or work to find the best participation method for you. Please email us with your needs for the event so we can learn how to best accommodate you (info@portlandbridgeswim.com).
We have had athletes with adaptive devices participate as well. We are open to allowing adaptive devices, provided they are safe to use on the course (moving river) and our safety team can work or around them in case of an emergency. Email
Q: I’m coming from out of town. How can I find a local kayaker?
A: We have a wonderful community of local paddlers who volunteer to help our swimmers. Here are some places you can post to recruit a paddler:
Oregon Wild Swimming
Western Washington Open Water Swimmers
Portland Bridge Swim Participants and Crew
Standup Portland
Masters Swimming Groups
Swimmer & Kayaker Open Water Connections
Q: Am I required to use a single kayak as my vessel? Can I use a SUP or something else instead?
A: If you are renting a kayak from us for the event, there is a single-kayak rental limit. The kayaks available are mostly sit-inside kayaks, with a handful of sit-on-top kayaks as well. We typically try to set the sit-on-tops aside for the tallest paddlers so they’re not crammed into a shell too short or narrow. If you’re looking for alternative vessel options:
Yes, your paddler is able to use a SUP. But, please consider:
The river is an active shipping channel with a lot of traffic. Even experienced SUP users may find it stressful or difficult to both support their swimmer and remain stable on their SUP. It may be pragmatic to sit and paddle on a SUP, rather than kneeling or standing, due to the conditions and duration of the swim, as well as the ease of access to the swimmer’s nutrition and gear. If there’s chop, wake, wind – will your paddler be comfortable enough to be able to have 100% of their focus on you as the swimmer? If not, please consider switching to a different vessel.
Yes, you are able to have 2 paddlers, either in 2 separate singles or in a tandem kayak. But, please consider:
Tandem/double kayaks OR two singles are allowed. If you end up with two singles, please make sure that you always have a kayaker with you wearing the safety vest with the bib # that will be provided with your race packet – if one of them goes off to look at something or take a potty break, make sure the one with you has the vest. Swimmer paddlers/escort(s) may not impede other swimmers, your two single paddlers may need to take turns staying close to their swimmer in places where it’s more congested with swimmers. For any tandem paddlers, please be sure the paddlers have experience paddling that type of vessel, as tandems have been known to be “divorce boats”. Whatever your choice of vessel(s), your paddlers’ first priority must always be the safety of the swimmer. If they’re trying to learn how to paddle, steer, or communicate together, their attention isn’t completely on the swimmer, which can be dangerous.
If you plan to have two paddlers, please inform the planning team, and make sure you’ve purchased additional lunch vouchers to feed your paddlers!
Q: What are the rules for the swim?
A: We have published our event rules: https://portlandbridgeswim.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Portland-Bridge-Swim-Rules-2026-3.pdf
Q: What’s the cancellation policy?
A: If the swim is canceled up to 60 days prior to race day, 50% of entry fees will be refunded. If the swim is canceled less than 60 days prior to race day, no fees will be refunded. Swimmers who do not compete, or who do not complete the swim, are not eligible for refunds.
Q: What should I eat during the swim?
Everybody’s food needs are different and you’re going to have to figure this out by trial and error. This involves your nutritional needs, how often you need to feed, and what your stomach can tolerate. What tastes fine in your kitchen may not go down or stay down as well when you’re in the middle of the river and swimming hard. Make sure you are working on this well in advance of the swim- race day is not a good time to find out that your food’s not right.[/expand]
Q: How do I…
Pick up my race packet?
A: Packet pickup will take place the Saturday before the race from 2:30 – 4:30 PM at Willamette Park Picnic Shelter and on race day from 5:30 – 6:30 AM at the race start.
Get to the race start?
A: The race start is at Sellwood Riverfront Park, right at the intersection of SE Oaks Park Way and SE Spokane St.
Get to the race finish?
A: The race finish is at Cathedral Park, at the end of N. Philadelphia Ave. right under the St. Johns Bridge.
Watch the race while it’s happening?
- Volunteer!
- Come to the race start at Sellwood Riverfront Park
- Watch anywhere downtown between about 8:30 and 11:00
- Go stand on the Steel Bridge between about 9:00 and 10:30
- Come to the race finish at Cathedral Park between about 11:30 and 3:00
Q: What do you do for fun when you’re not swimming? What should I do for fun when I visit?
A: We eat and drink and do ridiculous things. We’ve got more craft breweries than we can even begin to count, fabulous food EVERYWHERE, great art, outdoor craft markets and farmers’ markets, concerts… If you’re coming to town and you need recommendations to explore, we’re happy to send you to some of our favorite places, like:
- International Rose Test Garden (Washington Park)
- Oregon Zoo (Washington Park)
- Waterfalls in the Columbia River Gorge
- Incredible coastline views (Cannon Beach, Hug Point, Lincoln City)
- Shipwreck: Warrington State Park (Peter Iredale) close to Astoria
- Fishing: charters out of Astoria and Depoe Bay
- Whale watching: Depoe Bay
- Aquarium: Newport
Q: It’s my first time in Portland, where should I stay?
A: Portland is an amazing city with lots of stuff to do and so many fun restaurants to try. If you’re looking to stay in walkable neighborhoods, we recommend Sellwood, St. John’s, Alberta Arts District. If you’re looking for quieter areas, we recommend SW/Hillsdale, Forest Park, Woodstock, and Lake Oswego areas. There is public transport, but most visitors typically rent a car, especially if you’re looking for Gorge or coastal adventures during your stay. Most neighborhoods have visitor parking or free parking outside of Downtown and near the convention center. As with all large cities, do not leave anything visible in your car when you’re not in it. There are no hotels within close walking distance of the start/finish but there are several within a few miles. The closest two are:
Motel 6, 3104 SE Powell
River’s Edge Hotel Portland, 0455 SW Hamilton Court
Q: How long should I stay if I’m flying or driving in?
A: We would love for you to stay and visit our lovely city for as long as you can, because there is truly no end of things to see and do in and around Portland. But, for the race specifically, we recommend arriving Friday before the Sunday race so you can acclimate and join us for the pre-race pasta dinner at the Old Spaghetti factory! The swim typically concludes at or before 3 PM on Sunday, and the airport is roughly a 30-45 minute drive from Cathedral Park, so it’s reasonable to fly out right after the event. The rental car lot is on-site at the airport (a 10-15 minute walk to the terminal), so you mostly just need to factor the time for security screening and walking in when taking a Sunday evening flight right after the event.
Q: Do I need to be a competitive/fast swimmer to participate in Portland Bridge Swim?
A: Absolutely not. Most swimmers are testing themselves, rather than swimming and racing alongside other participants. It’s a large river, and the likelihood you’ll see many other swimmers on the course after the the first 1-2 miles is pretty low. As long as you meet the qualifying time requirements, you should come swim!
Q: Will I get sick from the Willamette River?
A: It’s very unlikely. During the spring, snow melt from the mountains feed our rivers, causing the water temps to drop as the sun starts warming the city. In addition, various river clean up and water safety initiatives over the past several decades have created an urban paradise in the June/July timeframe. There are cases of blue-green algae later on in the summer once the water warms up, but those don’t start until mid to late August, and typically in coves where there’s slower moving water. The brilliant event race director picked the middle of July because it’s a perfect water temp with sunny skies and roses in bloom with ideal river conditions. That being said, you’re swimming in a shipping channel with lots ‘0 boat traffic. You’ll likely experience some wake, smell a few whiffs of boat exhaust, and touch some river salad as you swim. We recommend not drinking gallons of the river (fish pee in it, and so do you), and showering after you get done with the event.
