2021 Maryland Swim for Life

For full event details, please go to the link here.

Quick Links:
Donate or Sponsor a Swimmer in Swim For Life!
Volunteer Registration
Live Tally of Donations
Complete Overview

The District of Columbia Aquatics Club (DCAC) (www.swimdcac.org) is proud to host the 30th Annual Maryland Swim for Life on Saturday, September 11, 2021. DCAC is a Potomac Valley USMS Masters swim team and is a 501(c)(3) corporation. This is our 21st year of hosting this community fundraiser. Proceeds from Swim for Life supports three local nonprofits to assist them in their mission. We invite all swimmers, old and new, to join us in participating in this wonderful event.

Complete Overview: All of the detailed information and maps are contained in the Complete Overview link above. All participants and volunteers are encouraged to download a print a copy for themselves.

The single page Event Flyer: Click here.

Online Registration and Fundraising powered by ClubAssistant.com

REGISTRATION: The registration fee for MD Swim for Life is $40. With your registration fee, you will receive breakfast, picnic lunch, a swim cap and a t-shirt. There is a mandatory $100 fundraising quota. We strongly encourage swimmers to register for Swim for Life though Club Assistant, which allows you to reach out to family and friends and collect donations online. Per our sanctioning guidelines, this event is only open to USMS registered members and USA Swimming members. Club Assistant will confirm your USMS registration or USA Swimming registration. Online entries are paid by credit card to "ClubAssistant.com Events".
 

Online registration will close at 11:59 pm eastern daylight time on Thursday September 9, 2021. We will still accept race-day registrations (paper form will be available online Friday September 10, 2021 USMS (Click HERE) USA Swimming (Click HERE). Or at the race venue on the day of the race) if you are unable to register online.

PLEASE NOTE: You must be a United States Masters Swimming (USMS) registered swimmer or USA Swimming (USAS) registered swimmer to participate in this swim. If you plan on registering day of and are USMS registered or USA Swimming registered, please bring your USMS card or USAS card to the swim.

FUNDRAISING/AWARDS:  It is Mandatory that each swimmer must contribute a minimum of $100 in pledges; many swimmers raise far more. Special prizes will be awarded to the top 3 fundraisers, based on pledges submitted by the start of the event. If you register online, you can submit your minimum pledge online and you can direct your sponsors to the online donation option. Pledge checks can be made payable to “DCAC Swim for Life.” Checks, cash, Venmo and credit cards will be accepted on the day of the event. 

The top finishers, male and female, in  the 11-13, 15-17, 18-30, 31-45 & 46 & up age categories for each distance will also receive awards.

Funds raised are distributed to our charities: Quality of Life Retreats, ShoreRivers and District of Columbia Aquatics Club.

LOCATION: This year’s event will again take place at Rolph’s Wharf Marina on the Queen Anne’s County side of the Chester River, three miles south of Chestertown in Kent County.

CAMPING: At this year's event, we are offering onsite camping at Rolph's Wharf for Friday, September 10, 2021. Campers will have full access to the showers and bathrooms at The River Inn. The DCAC swimmers will also be onsite Friday night completing the set-up for the event. We always go into town for a Friday night carb loading and all campers are welcome to come along. The camping cost is $50 per tent.

DIRECTIONS: From the Chesapeake Bay Bridge: Take 50 East to 301 North. 50 East and 301 North separate approximately 9 miles past the Bay Bridge. Stay on 301 by taking the left fork. In approximately 5 miles, take the Route 213 North exit toward Chestertown and Washington College. After 2 miles, you will pass through Centreville. Proceed another 10 miles and turn left onto Rolph’s Wharf Road. A Swim for Life banner will mark this turn. Follow Rolph’s Wharf Road for 2 miles and a volunteer will direct you for parking. If you plan to drive Saturday morning, it is best to leave early to avoid summer bridge traffic.

SCHEDULE:
(note there could be slight changes to the exact start and end time due to weather conditions)

7:00-8:15 am     On-Site Registration (check-in) and Breakfast
8:00 am             Watercraft volunteers' Safety Overview
8:30 am             Opening Ceremony and Swimmer Safety Instructions
9:00 am             Swim Start
10:45 am           Lunch Set Up
12:30 pm           Swim Cutoff; Picnic Celebration and Awards Ceremony

Every swimmer must be registered and checked-in by 8:15 am on race day. All pledge money not submitted online also is due by 8:15 am, to be counted towards determination of fundraising prize winners. ABSOLUTELY NO changes to race distance will be permitted after registration closes. To ensure the validity of the swim results, except for safety reasons, no mid-course corrections will be allowed. If you do not complete your designated distance, you MUST inform the event coordinators. During check-in, swimmers will be body-marked and capped according to distance, and will receive a timing chip on a velcro strap, to be worn around one ankle.

COURSE: Participants will start and finish at Rolph’s Wharf, in five waves by distance (7.5K starts first). The swims are out (upriver) and back (downriver) and run parallel to the shore. There will be 2 large inflatable yellow buoys on the course – one marking the start which also serves as the turnaround for multi-lap swimmers, and one at the 1.25 kilometer turnaround. Consecutive buoys are visible from each preceding buoy. Each wave will turn around at the north buoy that marks the halfway point of their swim. A special orange buoy will be set at .6 miles from the start for the north turn-around point of the 1.2 and 2.4-Mile triathlon challenge. Water safety officials have the authority to determine when a swimmer needs to be removed from the water. Any swimmer removed from the water must report immediately to the recording station upon returning to shore. The swim ends promptly at 12:30 pm. Any swimmer still in the water at that time will be picked up by safety personnel.

TIMING: Timing will be provided by Blue Cheetah Timing.

WATER: Water temperature on swim mornings is usually in the mid-70s. Wetsuits are allowed (but most swimmers do not wear one as the water is very comfortable); other flotation devices (e.g., pull buoys, paddles, fins) are not. USMS regulations prohibit wetsuits if temperatures exceed 78 degrees, as they have in several past years.

WATER QUALITY: Swimmers can monitor any advisories or warnings on water quality on the ShoreRivers website here.

TRAINING/ELIGIBILITY: All swimmers must be 18 years of age and registered with USMS (Adults) or USA Swimming (Youth) to participate in this swim. USMS registration is at www.usms.org/reg/ and USA Swimming registration is at Register (usaswimming.org)  All swimmers are urged to train for this event, and novices are urged to enter the shorter distance waves.

SAFETY: Safety support at the swim will be provided by the U.S. Coast Guard and their Auxiliary, Maryland Natural Resources Police, the Chesapeake Paddlers’ Association, ShoreRivers, the Kent and Queen Anne’s Rescue Squad, Chesapeake Bay Boston Whalers Club, and other local volunteer boaters and kayakers.

EVENT POSTPONEMENT / CANCELLATION: In the event of inclement weather or other emergency, the event may be postponed up to 2­ hours. No “rain date” is scheduled. No refunds of any registration fees or donations will be made.  

Modification of the event distances is at the discretion of the Event Director and may be made in the event of impending weather concerns. Cancellations and modifications to the event will be at the sole discretion of the Event Director and Safety Coordinator, in coordination with the US Coast Guard and local authorities.

SWIMMING GEAR: DCAC is proud to be sponsored by TYR Sport

For additional information:
Please email swimforlife@swimdcac.org 

    or treasurer@swimdcac.org or call Kevin Majoros at (410) 382-7205