San Francisco Bay and the English Channel UK and USA
written by Elisabeth Thieriot
This SATURDAY, OCTOBER 5, is the 19th ANNUAL SWIM ACROSS AMERICA- SAN FRANCISCO OPEN WATER SWIM!! An incredible 500 swimmers and volunteers participate to MAKE WAVES TO FIGHT CANCER! We invite you to come out and cover this inspiring event. If you would like to interview the event directors or one of the swimmers — like 17 year-old marathon swimmer Maya Merhige (who recently successfully swam the English Channel in July, making her one of the youngest swimmers in the world to accomplish this feat) — please let me know and I’ll get you connected.
Swimmers and Volunteers Make Waves in the Fight Against Cancer
WHO: 500+ swimmers and volunteers will make waves on Saturday, October 5, at the 19th annual Swim Across America San Francisco open water swim event which takes place at Little Marina Green in San Francisco and finishes at Aquatic Park by Ghirardelli Square. Recreational and amateur swimmers all the way to master swimmers and even Olympic swimmers participate to #makewaves to #fightcancer and swim the 1.5-mile point-to-point swim. The event is expected to raise close to $400,000 for innovative cancer research and patient care at Swim Across America – San Francisco Bay’s local beneficiaries UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals, with proceeds supporting the Oakland Research Institute and the Survivors of Childhood Cancer Program at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital San Francisco. To date, the swim has raised more than $5.5 million for UCSF.
One of the standout participants in this year’s swim is 17-year-old Maya Merhige of Berkeley, California, who has participated in the Swim Across America – San Francisco Bay swim for the past nine years. Maya is also a marathon swimmer and recently became one of the youngest athletes in history to complete the Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming by successfully swimming the English Channel in July 2024. She joins an elite group of swimmers who have conquered the English Channel, Catalina Channel, and Manhattan 20 Bridges Swim. Maya’s accomplishments extend beyond the Triple Crown: she holds world records as the youngest woman to swim the Catalina Channel and all three major courses of Lake Tahoe, and she is the youngest person to complete the grueling 26-mile Kaiwi Molokai Channel between Molokai and Oahu in 27 hours and 33 minutes, joining the prestigious “24-Hour Club,” with one of the longest non-stop open water swims in history.
Maya’s inspiration to swim to make waves to fight cancer stems from first swimming for her family friend Susan Helmrich, a three-time cancer survivor who recently marked 47 years after being first diagnosed with cancer at the young age of 21. Susan, now 69 years-old, has swum in the Swim Across America – San Francisco Bay open water swim for 17 out of the 19 years and has raised more than a million dollars with her “Team Susan Survives!”
Maya has also faced health challenges of her own. In March 2023, after a ski crash, doctors discovered a benign tumor on her pancreas. Despite multiple surgeries, hospitalizations, and chronic pain, Maya continued to train and swim, demonstrating extraordinary resilience. Her own health battles have deepened her empathy for pediatric cancer patients and strengthened her commitment to raising funds for cancer research.
WHAT: Proceeds of the Swim Across America San Francisco open water swim support its local beneficiary UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals (Oakland and San Francisco). Swim Across America has raised more than $5.5 million for UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals since the first San Francisco Swim in 2006. Several of UCSF’s scientists, who benefit from the funds raised as the swim, also will be swimming or volunteering on the beach. Two of the UCSF participants include Julie Saba, MD, PhD, and Rob Goldsby, MD, both pediatric oncologists.
WHEN: Saturday, October 5 (Best photo & video opportunities are from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.)
7:30 AM: Registration/Check-In Opens at Little Marina Green9:00 AM: Swimmer Safety Briefing & Why I Swim Speeches10:00 AM: Swimmers Enter Water at Little Marina Green10:30 AM to 11:00 AM: Swimmers Finish at Aquatic Park
WHERE: Swim Across America – San Francisco
START OF SWIM: Little Marina Green
3650 Yacht Road
San Francisco, CA 94123
Directions are at swimacrossamerica.org/sanfrancisco
FINISH OF SWIM: Aquatic Park
WHY: Swim Across America, Inc. (SAA) is dedicated to raising money and awareness for cancer research, prevention and treatment through swimming-related events. With the help of hundreds of volunteers nationwide and past and current Olympians, Swim Across America is helping find a cure for cancer through athleticism, community outreach and direct service. To learn more visit swimacrossamerica.org/sanfrancisco.
THIS IS A POINT-TO-POINT SWIM LEAVING FROM LITTLE MARINA GREEN AND FINISHING AT AQUATIC PARK
