2024 Seattle Open Water Swim - Swim Across America

Seattle Open Water Swim

09.07.24

Thank you for 'Making Waves' at SAA-Seattle this year! You can still register as an SAA My Way virtual participant and fundraise all year.

Welcome to the Swim Across America - Seattle Open Water Swim.
Volunteer, swim a 1/2 mile, 1 mile or 2 mile distance to raise money that funds clinical trials and cancer research at the Fred Hutch Cancer Center. Over the last 15 years we've raised over $5 million, which has been granted to fund early stage research and clinical trials.

6:15-7:30 am: Swimmer Registration

7:40 am: Safety Briefing

8:00 am: Rolling Swim Start

Full Schedule

LOCATION

Lake Sammamish State Park Sunset Beach

2010 NW Sammamish Rd

Issaquah, WA 98027

Venue Details

Swim Options

.5 mile, 1 mile, 2 mile

SAA My Way (Virtual)

Fundraising

.5 mile, 1 mile: $300, 2 mile: $500

Under 18 .5 mile, 1 mile: $150, 2 Mile: $250

BENEFITING

LEARN MORE

  Total Raised To Date



Progress: 0%
Registrations: 711     Goal: 500000

Raised of Goal

Donate
Top Fundraisers
Team Honor Roll

FOLLOW AND GET ALL SAA—SEATTLE UPDATES

EVENT INFO

ABOUT

Welcome to the Swim Across America - Seattle Open Water Swim! Established in 2009, SAA - Seattle has raised over $5 million for our beneficiary: Fred Hutch Cancer Center. This is our impact message of the early stage projects and investigators being funded with grants from SAA-Seattle.

Each year we are proud to host over 600 swimmers and volunteers, spectators and supporters, as well as Olympians near and far at our charity swim. We look forward to seeing you on Saturday, September 7th. This year, we are excited to return to Lake Sammamish State Park Sunset Beach.

Whether you are a veteran swimmer or you're looking to do your first open water swim, we welcome you to help us "Make Waves to Fight Cancer."

EVENT DETAILS

SWIMMER INFORMATION & REQUIREMENTS

General Fundraising Requirements By Event Day:

2 mile swimmers: $500 minimum for adults, $250 minimum for those under 18 or in college
1/2 and 1 mile swimmers: $300 minimum for adults, $150 minimum for those under 18 or in college
As a reminder, this is a fundraising event, and we ask all of our registered participant swimmers to put forth a concerted effort to raise money for cancer research. Please note, this fundraising effort is the swimmer making requests to others in your extended network to donate to you and is in addition to your registration fee/self-donation (see below for more on reg fee self-donation). Your registration fee/self-donation is credited towards your goal. Most swimmers find that it is surprisingly easy to raise money, especially those swimmers who use the website we provide to update their personal page and send emails. Also using your social media networks is also useful. Please see this page on fundraising for more help.

WaveMaker Status: $1,000 minimum:

WaveMakers go above and beyond the call of duty by raising at least $1,000 regardless of your age. Anyone can achieve WaveMaker status - swimmers, volunteers or SAA My Way participants. WaveMakers get special recognition and an exclusive WM gift on event day. You can learn more about WaveMaker Status here.

Swim as an Individual, or on a Team

A person may elect to swim alone, or be part of a team. Many colleagues and college alumni will form teams, or teams may be formed in honor or memory of a loved one. All teams are inspirational and rewarding for all of us involved with Swim Across America. All team members are still required to meet the individual fundraising minimum of $300.

Kids' Splash!

Children age 11 and under are welcome to register on event day to participate in a 50m freestyle open water swim on event day.
There is no fee, waiver must be signed for each kid swimmer and parent. Kids must be able to swim 50 meters to enter and swim. Parent acknowledgement on form.
Kids' Splash starts at 9:45 am, after ½ mile and just before completion of 2-mile swim, while timers are reconciling times.

Same Day Pool Swim

Due to the 2024 venue change, there will be no same day pool swim this year but look for it to return next year!

Angel Swimmers

For those who are hesitant about swimming in open water, we are happy to provide an “angel swimmer” to swim the course alongside you. Angel swimmers are experienced open water swimmers who encourage you, keep an eye on you and support you during your swim. If you think you may benefit from having an angel swimmer, please respond yes to the question presented in online registration. You may also reach out to Scott to answer any questions.

Registration Self-Donation:

Swimmers will be asked to kickstart your fundraising and let your supporters know you are personally committed to the mission of SAA. The registration self-donation is a 100% tax deductible donation that will be will be credited towards each swimmer's fundraising minimum. The minimum self-donation amount will change as follows:

Waiver:

All swimmers and volunteers must complete the waiver found here.

Wetsuit Policy, Rentals and Purchases:

Water temperature can vary therefore wetsuits are strongly recommended. Please read our full wetsuit policy and tips on our Policies Page.

Online Purchase: Orca is an SAA wetsuit partner offering a 20% discount on all Orca purchases with code SAA20

2024 Swimmer Packet:

Please review the 2024 SWIMMER AND VOLUNTEER INFO PACKET before the event. It contains important information about the schedule, what to expect and what to bring.

YOUR IMPACT

Proceeds from the swim support immunotherapy clinical trials and cancer research at Fred Hutch Cancer Center. Read the latest SAA-Seattle impact report.

Hear directly from the incredible doctors your funds are supporting below.

The Seattle Cancer Care Alliance (SCCA) and Fred Hutch have merged to create Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center. This unified adult cancer care and research center brings together Seattle Cancer Care Alliance and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center into a single, independent, nonprofit organization that is also a clinically integrated part of UW Medicine and UW Medicine’s cancer program. The superior care you have come to expect will continue uninterrupted. With the leading cancer specialists and research teams of Fred Hutch, Seattle Children’s and UW Medicine, our care combines powerful science with devoted collaboration. It’s patient-centered care and science working together. We exist to move patients forward, past boundaries and toward hope.

For the past eight years, the Seattle chapter of SAA has generously supported research at SCCA, raising over $5 million to directly benefit the Pancreatic Cancer Specialty Clinic and the Swim Across America Cellular Therapy Lab. Last year, volunteer efforts bridged funding gaps; accelerated research in pancreas cancer—an area of exceptional need; and supported immunotherapy—an area of great promise.

SAA MY WAY

What is SAA MY WAY?

SAA My Way is our virtual offering where you decide your activity and timeline. Register with a $50 self-donation and we’ll send you an SAA Swag Bag to show off your spirit. All donations raised for your My Way will support our SAA-Seattle event. Click here to learn about all the ways you can have fun your way!

To sign up as an SAA My Way participant for our event, click the register button above and select 'SAA My Way' as your participation type.

VOLUNTEERS

Volunteers are the backbone of the Swim Across America Family ensuring our event run smoothly from beginning to end. Even if you aren’t a swimmer, you can still help us in the fight against cancer. Don’t forget, volunteers can fundraise too if they want! Ready to volunteer with us? Click on the Register button and select the Volunteer participation type.

Land Volunteers

Land Volunteers staff all aspects of our event on land. You can anticipate helping with set up, swimmer check-in, finish line support, hospitality and post-swim events/clean up.

Water Volunteers

Water volunteers consist of kayakers, stand-up paddleboarders and power boaters that provide crucial logistical and safety support to our event officials and for our swimmers. They will monitor the swim lane, keep an active eye on all our swimmers and communicate any swimmer issues to our event officials.

Angel Swimmers

Angel Swimmers are experienced open water swimmers who are willing to accompany a nervous swimmer throughout the course. Angel swimmers must be able to swim all distances and help out if the swimmer needs. To register as an angel swimmer, choose “volunteer” and then select Angel Swimmer. The local planning team will have final approval of angel swimmers.

Questions about volunteering? Check out our SAA Volunteer Page.

FUNDRAISING RESOURCES

If this is your first time participating or if you just need some tips to be a better fundraiser, click here. It will walk you through the participant center and teach you how to email donors, share on social media sites and download the fundraising app. You can find more helpful resources on our fundraising resources page.

NEW! Watch these instructional videos to learn how to register, update your participant center, connect to Facebook and more!

Be a WaveMaker by taking your fundraising to the next level and raising $1000! Anyone can achieve WaveMaker status - swimmers, volunteers or SAA My Way participants. WaveMakers get special recognition and an exclusive WM gift on event day. You can learn more about WaveMaker Status here.

You may support the swimmer of your choice by making an online donation. Or you may send a check, payable to Swim Across America, to the address below:

Swim Across America - Seattle
6917 93rd Avenue SE
Mercer island, WA 98040

Make sure to include a note with the name of the swimmer you are donating to. Contact here with any questions.

SAFETY

SAA Safety & Policies:

Participant safety is the most important component of all our events. All swimmers will be asked to follow specific safety procedures and policies to participate, as well as comply with SAA safety personnel, including local and government entities, Lifeguards, and water safety volunteers. Participants are responsible for adequately preparing for their registered event. We ask that all participants review the information packet provided in advance of event day, as well as attend the day-of safety briefing for important safety information.

Waiver:

All swimmers and volunteers must complete the waiver found here.

If you have questions about our policies regarding inclement weather, swim equipment or wetsuits, please consult our Policies page.

Lifeguard Safety

Waterfront Lifeguard Certification Course - Date TBA:
This certification is required of professional Lifeguards at Swim Across America - Seattle, as it is held in a lake setting.

Wetsuits: Orca is an SAA wetsuit partner offering a 20% discount on all Orca purchases with code SAA20.

SCHEDULE

Schedule is tentative and subject to change.

6:15 – 7:30 am: Swimmer Registration - Please be sure to bring your completed waiver form (neatly and legibly) to ensure a smooth registration process

6:20 – 6:40 am: Warm up, hydrate, meet your friends, take group photos

7:00 am: Mandatory Water Safety Volunteers briefing (Meet at LB South Beach Area next to finish arch)

7:20 am: Welcome and Why I Swim presentation

7:30 am Registration closes for all distances

7:40 am: Safety Briefing for all swimmers, all distances, Giant Group photo

8:00 am: Kids' Splash

8:20 am: 2 mile swim start

8:40 am: 1 mile swim start

8:45 am: 1/2 mile swim start

10:20 am: 10-15 minute awards ceremony and celebration!

VENUE & GETTING THERE