Hundreds of swimmers take to Long Island Sound to raise money for cancer research
Close to 600 swimmers took to Long Island Sound in Larchmont on Saturday morning to raise funds for cancer research, with elite swimmers covering more than six miles.
The event was organized by the Long Island Sound Chapter of Swim Across America, which this year exceeded $25 million in total donations since 1992. The chapter has been hosting swims through the summer.
“We began our chapter with a small group of fifteen dedicated swimmers, who recognized the need to raise money to fight cancer and believed that each one of them could make a difference,” said Jean Fufidio, executive director of the chapter. “Fast forward, and SAA-LIS is now in its fourth decade with more than 800 swimmers and volunteers working towards that same goal – making this a cancer-free world.”
The Long Island Sound swim has been recognized as one of America's Top 100 Open Water Swims by the World Open Water Swimming Association. It started in 1992 with only 17 swimmers.
On Saturday, participants could choose between 2K, 5K and 10K swims. The event started at Larchmont Swim Club and ended at Larchmont Shore Club. Close to 60 teams participated, including one from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
One swimmer faced health difficulties while leaving the water and had to receive CPR before being taken away by ambulance. First responders also used an AED on the person. A spokesperson for the event did not have word on the swimmer's condition Saturday morning, and said it was the first such incident in at least a decade.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Hundreds of Swimmers in Long Island Sound for cancer research
