Course Description

Swimmers will begin the swim at Pier 62 in Hudson River Park, heading towards the river and turning south into the Hudson. Continuing south, swimmers will pass several piers which are part of the Chelsea Piers Sports and Entertainment facility. Swimmers are not allowed to swim closer than 20 yards to the end of any pier and should keep this in mind as they continue to navigate in a southerly direction on the river. Participants should be especially careful to keep a constant distance from the Manhattan shoreline and obey directions of support kayakers and boat crews due to a number of submerged piers along the route, including Pier 58 at 17th Street and Pier 56 at 14th Street.

As swimmers continue south, they will pass the following landmarks: Pier 54, the departure point for the Lusitania's maiden voyage; the Gansevoort Peninsula, truck parking for the Department of Sanitation and NYFD docking station (Piers 53/52); and the recently reconstructed Greenwich Village section of the Hudson River Park. Note that there are additional pile fields and submerged piers on this section of the swim course, and participants are advised to maintain their distance from the shoreline. Pier 40 at Houston Street which houses a large parking garage as well as indoor and outdoor athletic fields is the next large and easily visible landmark on the Manhattan side of the course.

After passing Pier 40, swimmers will see two "finger" piers which mark the Holland Tunnel Vent Shaft (Pier 34). Additional pile fields and submerged piers lie just south of this. As swimmers approach the Downtown Boathouse (Pier 26) they have approximately ½ Mile remaining on the course. Please be aware that this area may be heavily used by recreational kayakers and that there are pile fields at and just south of Pier 26.

As swimmers continue towards the finish, they will swim to the outside (New Jersey side) of the New York Waterway Ferry Terminal. At the entrance to North Cove Yacht Harbor, swimmers will turn left and swim in to the finish located at the southeast corner of the marina.