Native Marylander and ultra marathon open water swimmer Katie Pumphrey will attempt to make history by swimming 24 miles between the Chesapeake Bay Bridge to Harborplace in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor.
Pumphrey plans to make the “Bay to Baltimore” swim in late June to celebrate the milestone reached of a swimmable Baltimore.
“The Bay to Baltimore swim, in many ways, is my love letter to Baltimore City,” Pumphrey said in a statement. “I can’t wait to swim towards Baltimore, towards home, and truly celebrate this major milestone for our city. 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.”
She will begin her swim at Sandy Point State Park next to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and finish at the Harborplace Amphitheater in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. The best swim window for Pumphrey to attempt this is June 24 -27, 2024, based on tides, water temperatures, and ability to stay in communication with the United States Coast Guard Sector Maryland, according to the news release.
The official date will be chosen based on ideal weather and swim conditions, considering rainfall plays a big role in the safety of swimming in open water. People should not swim in open waters during the 48 hours after a heavy rainfall due to polluted runoff impacting water quality.
“Katie’s enthusiasm for Baltimore is contagious and her desire to keep pursuing her dreams, one open swim after another, is inspiring. Waterfront Partnership is proud to support her as she brings attention to swimming and recreation in Baltimore’s Harbor,” said Adam Lindquist, vice president of the Waterfront Partnership, a “Bay to Baltimore” swim sponsor.
Pumphrey will be accompanied by a variety of people on the water to ensure her swim is safe and successful. Freedom Boat Club will provide two support boats with alternating captains, including Captain Todd Nicusanti and Captain Allen Rex, both from Freedom Boat Club, as well as Captain Bobby LaPin from Boat Baltimore Sail Local, who will pilot the swim.
She will also have a support crew of six-to-eight people who will rotate kayaking beside Pumphrey, swimming alongside her, and two of the crew will be observers to document and verify her swim’s adherence to the Marathon Swimmers Federation’s (MSF) rules and regulations.
During the final mile of the swim, Baltimore’s Mr. Trash Wheel will join the fleet supporting Pumphrey’s finish, swimming her in to the Harbor and subsequent celebration at the Inner Harbor Amphitheater between the Harborplace pavilions. The public can follow Pumphrey’s progress via the live tracker on the Bay to Baltimore website.
Pumphrey was born and raised in Maryland, beginning competitive swimming at the age of five. Her first official open water swim was the 4.4-mile Chesapeake Bay Swim in 2010. Since then, she has completed two English Channel swims, a swim around the island of Manhattan, and a swim across the Catalina Channel. These three swims make up the “triple crown” of open water swimming and she is the 194th person and 73rd woman in the world to achieve that honor.
Maintaining her team and training for the swim requires some costly logistics for the swim to succeed. Members of the public can help Pumphrey offset the costs of the “Bay to Baltimore” swim at her website by clicking this link.
She will donate 10% of all proceeds to the Maryland Tough Baltimore Strong Key Bridge Fund, established by the Baltimore Community Foundation.
Looking forward, Pumphrey hopes to partner with Baltimore organizations to organize a swim event series in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, including swims of varying distances from 1-mile to marathon-distance swims like the one she plans to complete at the end of June.
