Baltimore is set to witness a historic moment as Katie Pumphrey, a marathon swimmer with a deep love for her city, takes on the challenge to swim from the Chesapeake Bay Bridge to Baltimore's Inner Harbor—a feat that has never been attempted before. The 24-mile swim, which began in the early hours of Tuesday morning, is seen by Pumphrey as a "love letter to Baltimore," an act mirroring the decades-long effort that has rehabilitated the harbor waters to a state deemed both swimmable and fishable.
According to CBS News Baltimore, the swim is expected to take somewhere between 12 to 14 hours, with Pumphrey setting off from Sandy Point State Park at an ambitious 3:19 a.m. start. The route culminates at Baltimore's Harborplace Amphitheater, a journey that if completed, will see Pumphrey's name go down in history. It's not just personal glory on the agenda; the swimmer has aspirations for the route to gain recognition and ratification from the Marathon Swimmers Federation.
The significance of this swim is twofold. Not only does it underscore the incredible strides taken to improve water quality in the region, but it also extends Pumphrey's legacy within the open-water swimming community. As someone who has conquered The Three Swims—including the English Channel twice, the Catalina Channel, and a full lap around Manhattan—Pumphrey's endeavor is a testament to her deep-rooted connection to both the sport and her city. "I have lived in Baltimore for 20 years and I have been dreaming about this swim for such a long time," she told WUSA9.
This "Bay-to-Baltimore" event smoothly dovetails with the "Harbor Splash" evoked in May, a public swim that heralded the first of its kind in 40 years. Pumphrey's swim not only carries the weight of a personal feat but is also positioned as a definitive celebration of Baltimore's environmental and community revitalization. Detailed information about her progress was tracked live online, under the watchful eyes of not just Baltimorians but swim enthusiasts and environmentalists nationwide. "To be the first person on record to complete a swim of this scale in these waters is something I've dreamt about for years," Pumphrey exclaimed to WBALTV.
No stranger to the challenges that come with marathon swimming, Pumphrey's support team took to the water in boats, ensuring she remained hydrated and energized throughout the demanding journey. As she approaches the final mile, an unexpected yet iconic figure is set to join her: Baltimore's Mr. Trash Wheel, a well-known symbol of the city’s endeavors to maintain clean waterways, which will accompany her as she completes the final stretches toward Harborplace amphitheater.
