IM New York interests me but I have never been to New York and I’m wondering about the water quality of the Hudson River for swimming. so I did some video research and the votes were 3 (Jerry, Elaine and George) to 1 (Kramer) against swimming in the river. But I’m willing to hear other opinions.
Serious question tho, do the locals use the river for swimming?
I did a tri once with a swim in the Hudson…personally, I would NEVER swim in it again. I live in the Philadelphia area and would swim in the Schuylkill River before swimming in there again.
Probably the majority of those “swimming” in the Hudson aren’t alive 
Dave
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had a long back and forth about this very topic several years back.
let’s first consider that you are asking about the Hudson and New York.
Second you are asking whether any locals swim there, at least on purpose.
hmmmm…surely you jest.
i’m so glad i’m in SW Michigan.
If it is good enough for Kozmo…
Serious question tho, do the locals use the river for swimming?
Generally speaking people swim in it 30-40 miles from where they plan on holding the IM swim. There are boat basins there so I imagine some people do swim off their boats.
I live up that way (40 miles north), about 15 minutes from the river. I don’t to swim in it. In fact, I keep my boat on a lake 45 minutes away. 15 years of doing tri’s and I’ve never done one in the river. I prefer the mostly pristine lakes that are availble for tri’s. I’d be leary of swimming 2.4 in that part of the river even though “they” say it’s perfectly safe.
Add it to the list of reasons this local has zero interest IMNY/NJ.
I’ve never actually visited but here is this from the EPA (http://www.epa.gov/hudson/):
“From approximately 1947 to 1977, the General Electric Company (GE) discharged as much as 1.3 million pounds of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) from its capacitor manufacturing plants at the Hudson Falls and Fort Edward facilities into the Hudson River.”
They are dredging the river to remove some of the pollution, but I sure as hell wouldn’t swim there (or downstream) anytime after a dredge event.
I think it is tidal where the swim is so the water should be getting refreshed naturally. Swim in the Hudson for the NYC tri. It is brackish there with a mixture of fuel from boats and such. Should be filled with jellyfish also mid summer.
First the Ohio, now the Hudson. They have set precedence for hosting an Ironman event in St. Louis; swimming in the clean, calm Mississipi river. What a beautiful sight it would be getting out of the river at the base of the arch. Of course there may be a few swimmers who end up in New Orleans but they could just keep swimming over to Panama City and do Ironman Florida.
the only things wrong with swimming in the schuylkill is that it gets too warm and its illegal.
Not to mention, they recomend you don’t eat fish that you catch in it.
Serious question tho, do the locals use the river for swimming?
Yes.
You can’t just jump in off the side of Manhattan for a refreshing dip, but there are plenty of organised races, each attracting hundreds of participants.
Try here -
http://nycswim.org/
IM New York interests me but I have never been to New York and I’m wondering about the water quality of the Hudson River for swimming. so I did some video research and the votes were 3 (Jerry, Elaine and George) to 1 (Kramer) against swimming in the river. But I’m willing to hear other opinions.
Serious question tho, do the locals use the river for swimming?
In the past 9 odd years or so, I have swam in the Hudson about 20 or 25 times. These events include 9 NYC Triathlons and multiple Manhattan Island swim events including two miles against the current. This summer I plan to swim the five mile little red lighthouse swim, the 2K swim around Liberty Island and the 2 mile Governor’s Island Swim. I have also swam 3 times underneath the Brooklyn Bridge (from Manhattan to Brooklyn and Brooklyn to Manhattan) - but that would be the East River and not the Hudson. I have three healthy children - all studying in gifted public school programs, my wife has a perpetual happy smile and I can run a 3:34 marathon (which isn’t so bad for someone who is 46 years old).
Is there anything wrong with me? Absolutely - and that is I spend too much fucking time in ST.
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I have raced in the Hudson a few times south of there, near the Verrazano Bridge (where the start of the NYC Marathon is); I would say the water quality is about the same as at IM Louisville & IM Arizona, but the last few years have seen tons of jellyfish invading the waters in the area. Not fair to even try to compare it to the beautiful water you’ll find in Lake Placid or Panama City Beach…that being said, I’m in for IMNJ…too close to my front door not to.