Accompanied by clear water and sunny skies, 300 people will be swimming across the Straits of Mackinac this weekend.
The fourth annual Mackinac Bridge Swim spans approximately 4.5 miles, starting in Mackinaw City and finishing at Bridgeview Park in St. Ignace.
Each participant must provide proof of a 40-minute mile before registration and wetsuits and the use of swim buoys are required.
The organizer of the event, Eric Hansen, said he founded the event after completing the swim himself years ago.
“The feeling I got from accomplishing that goal, swimming across the Straits, has been something I’ve always felt needs to be shared with every swimmer out there, at least for sure in the state of Michigan,” he said. “Most swimmers, any time they’ve been over the bridge, have always had that thought crossing their minds: ‘Boy, one day I’d like to swim across there.’”
In 2021, there were 30 swimmers participating in the event, doubling in size every year.
“A lot of people call themselves race directors, I call myself a splash coordinator,” Hansen said. “This is a fun event. So, you know, the only thing I take seriously is the fundraising (and) the safety of the swimmers.”
Hansen said the money raised from the swimmers’ registration fees, after subtracting direct event costs, is donated to the Saint Ignace Volunteer Fire Department and Mackinaw City Fire Department.
Last year, the event raised $56,000 for the fire departments. This time, the goal is $100,000, which Hansen said he is hopeful will be reached this weekend.
The fire departments, along with the Coast Guard and Border Patrol, will be providing security detail around the support vessels that monitor the swimmers.
The support vessels watch the swimmers through the entirety of the event, keeping them within 100 yards of the Mackinac Bridge.
This year, the Strait’s shipping lane will be closed to all freight and recreational traffic during the swim.
Hansen said he had tried to get the shipping lane closed since the first event, to no avail. In 2022, all swimmers were forced to evacuate the water when a freighter came through the Straits.
When he attended a meeting with the Coast Guard for this year’s swim, most of the St. Ignace and Mackinaw City volunteer firefighters showed up to advocate for the swim, explaining its importance and benefit to local communities.
“It was a really proud moment for me,” Hansen said.
Though the Mackinac Bridge Swim is a fun, bucket-list challenge for many swimmers, Hansen said he hopes the event’s impact is greater than a fun day in the sun.
“We want to make sure when we leave here and the waters settle after our swim, we’re leaving something beneficial behind,” he said.
