Swim Across America comes to Five Seasons Sports Club

CINCINNATI (WXIX) - If you like swimming, then we have an event you may be interested in. It’s called Swim Across America.

The fundraiser has raised around $100 million to fight cancer since it was founded in the 1980s.

Now for the first time ever, a local fitness center with locations in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky is participating. And they hope you put your swimsuit on and join in!

Swim Across America is coming to Five Seasons Sports Club this summer.

“The group originated from Jeff Keith, who did a run across America where he actually lost a limb to cancer and went from Boston to LA,” explained Five Seasons Vice President of Operations Nancy Conard. “So now we have Olympic swimmers, Michael Phelps, that have backed up this program, 100 Olympic athletes that really feel strongly about this.”

The event is open to all ages. Five Seasons Sharks Swim Team members Louisa and Alex Hough are swimming in honor of their friend, who is fighting brain cancer.

“It’s going to be a fun day,” said Alex, “and we’re excited about challenging our mad swim skills.”

If you don’t have those mad swim skills like the Hough sisters, don’t worry! You can recruit some friends to help!

“Depending on what you want to do, whether you want to have a team of four, a relay, individual, it’s up to you and what your skillset is,” Conard said. “But it’s really exciting to be hosting this this year.”

You have the option of swimming one mile, four miles or six miles.

The event is 9 a.m.-noon on Sunday, July 18. There will be food and entertainment at the pool.

The end goal is to raise lots of money for cancer research and maybe stir up some competition in the pool too.

“We’re not just a fitness center. We are giving back to the community,” said Conard. “And there are a lot of reasons that we want people to understand that we support the community itself too.”

Now it’s YOUR turn to join in the fun and swim a few laps, or a lot, and help fight cancer! You can donate here.

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