Open water swim across the Ottawa River draws attention to water health

Alana Repstock

Photo 1: Karen Tugwell looks out at the Ottawa River from Parc des Cèdres as she prepares herself for the 1.5 km Riverkeeper Open Water Swim. Tugwell travelled to the Ottawa/Gatineau region from Vancouver, BC to join her twin sister, Nikki Clarke, who competed in the event’s longer distance swim of 4 km that started at the Lac Deschênes Sailing Club in Nepean and finished at the Parc des Cèdres. This year’s race took place on August 13. 

Photo 02: Twin sisters Karen Tugwell and Nikki Clarke pose together after completing the Riverkeeper Open Water Swim on August 13, 2023. Tugwell swam the 1.5 km distance and placed first in the women’s division with a time of 27:19; Clarke placed second in the women’s division of the 4 km race, with a finish time of 01:06:00.

Photo 03: The Capital Wave Swimming and Water Polo team pose together along the shores of the Parc des Cèdres moments before sprinting into the Ottawa River for the 1.5 km Riverkeeper Open Water Swim that took place on August 13, 2023. Coach Waneek Hornmiller, former Olympic water polo player, is seventh from the left. 

Photo 04: The Capital Wave Swimming and Water Polo team chant “Swim! Swim! Swim! Polo! Polo! Polo!” as they ready themselves for the 1.5 km Riverkeeper Open Water Swim on August 13, 2023. Capital Wave Swimming and Water Polo raised the most funds for the event, a total of $1,706.21. 

Photo 05: Ilona Csepregi (Coach Lily) looks out at her team from Capital Wave Swimming and Water Polo as they tackle the 1.5 km Riverkeeper Open Water Swim on August 13, 2023. “As long as they finish and have fun, it’ll be a success. It’s all about team-building and making friends,” said Csepregi. 

Photo 06: Jorge Davila Sanchez poses moments after sprinting past the finish line. He was the first of the Capital Wave Swimming and Water Polo team to finish and second overall in the men’s division for the 1.5 km race, with a time of 27:11. August 13, 2023. 

Photo 07: Laura Reinsborough, CEO Riverkeeper, stands with Elizabeth Lacroix, Water Quality Assistant, to her right and Hannah Delion, River School Assistant, to her left, at this year’s Riverkeeper Open Water Swim on August 13, 2023. “As an organization, we exist to protect and promote the ecological health of the Ottawa River watershed. The Riverkeeper Open Water Swim is an extension of this, and we are so excited that this year we were able to return to an interprovincial race. (Last year, COVID-19 restrictions had limited the swim to the Ontario side.) It cannot be stressed enough how important it is that decision makers from both sides work collaboratively toward the best interests of this shared border so that it remains drinkable, fishable and swimmable,” said Reinsborough. 

Photo 08: Participants in the 1.5 km Riverkeeper Open Water Swim celebrate as they enter the Ottawa River from Parc des Cèdres on August 13, 2023.