Houston Open Water Swim

10.05.24

General Fundraising Requirements:

All swimmers are required to raise at least $300 by event day. Swimmers under 18 are required to raise $150 by event day.

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 colleges, high schools, 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.

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 Jenna to answer any questions.

Distance Options:

• 0.5 Mile
• 1 Mile
• 2 Mile

**Swim course cut-off time for the 2 mile is 2 hours 30 minutes.

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:

• Register before July 15 with a registration fee of $50
• Register between July 15 and September 15 with a registration fee of $75
• Register between September 16 and event day with a registration fee of $100

Online registration will close 48 hours prior to the swim! Event day registration may still be available if space permits.

Age Requirements:

Participants ages 12 and under who would like to sign up for the 1 mile or 5K swims are required to obtain a letter from their personal accredited coach (USA Swimming, ASCA, etc) verifying the swimmer is capable of swimming the chosen distance in open water.

Waivers:

All swimmers and volunteers must complete the SAA waiver found HERE. Please bring it with you to the event and provide at check in.

Swim Caps:

Every swimmer must wear the SAA colored cap given to them at the registration for their designated event. You may not switch caps for a different color, for safety purposes.

Wetsuits:

Online Wetsuit Purchase: Orca is an SAA wetsuit partner offering a 20% discount and entry to win a $500 gift card when you shop through our SAA Orca link.

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.

Swim Across America - Houston supports cancer research and clinical trials at MD Anderson Cancer Center. Hear directly from the doctors you are supporting about why your funding is critical to their research below.

Read the latest SAA-Houston impact report here.

Dr. Richard Gorlick

Richard Gorlick, M.D., is the division head of Pediatrics at MD Anderson Cancer Center. His team includes a group of doctors and scientists dedicated to childhood brain tumors. A childhood cancer survivor himself, Dr. Gorlick personally understands the importance of cancer research and has made it his life’s work to help kids with cancer.

“Too many parents lose their children to brain cancer each year. Support from Swim Across America will help our efforts to improve treatment and survival for childhood brain cancer,” Gorlick says.

Click here to view Dr. Gorlick's profile video.
Dr. Gorlick had his own pediatric cancer experience, read more about his story here.

Dr. Pratibha Sharma

Project overview: Patients diagnosed with brain tumors known as glioblastomas survive only 15 months on average and only 10 percent of patients live five years post diagnosis. Dr. Sharma will use SAA funds to deploy novel inhibitor drugs to study how these drugs starve glioblastoma cells of energy while sparing non-malignant and immune cells that are also present in the tumors and their surrounding tissue. The SAA funding will generate preliminary data that will enable Dr. Sharma to later secure federal grant funding to further develop this innovative treatment for patients.

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-Houston 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 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 or contact Jenna Jacobs.

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,
8508 Park Road,
#389,
Charlotte, NC 28210

Make sure to include a note with the name of the swimmer you are donating to.

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.

Schedule is subject to change.

6:00 am: Land volunteers arrive

6:45 am: Water volunteers arrive

7:00 am: Mandatory water volunteer safety meeting

7:15 am: Swimmer check in opens (Closes at 8:00 am)

8:00 am: Welcome Program

8:25 am: Swimmer Safety Meeting and Group Photograph at Start

8:30 am: Swims Start Based on Distance. 2-mile Swimmers Start First.

Ceremony to follow. Bring the whole family!

Swim Location

Margaritaville Lake Conroe
600 Margaritaville Parkway
Montgomery, Texas 77356

2024 Course Map

2024 Venue Map