This event on Lake Lanier will raise money to fight cancer

Ben Anderson, The Times, Gainesville, Ga.
·1 min read

Sep. 23—The 10th annual Swim Across America Atlanta is coming to Gainesville, where swimmers will make waves in the fight against cancer.

The event will take place from 7:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at Lake Lanier Olympic Park on Saturday, Sept. 24.

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.

Swim Across America is a national event, but it was brought to Atlanta in 2013. Since then, it has raised more than $2.6 million for Aflac Cancer and the Blood Disorders Center of Children's Healthcare of Atlanta.

"The Swim Across America Atlanta open water swim is not a race, but rather a swim that makes waves to fight cancer," according to an event press release. "Swimmers of all levels and abilities participate."

So far, more than $243,578 has been raised for this weekend's swim.

The Atlanta event was started by Olympic swimmers Daniel Watters and Sherri Hart, and nearly a dozen Olympic swimmers are attending Saturday.

There will be an Olympian autograph session.

Olympic swimmers attending include Nei-Kuan Chia, Steve Lundquist, Megan Neyer, Mallory Weggemann, Doug Gjertsen, McClain Hermes, Paige Northcutt, Amanda Weir, Courtney Shealy Hart, Eric Wunderlich and Craig Beardsley.

Swim Across America Atlanta

When: 7:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Sept. 24

Where: Lake Lanier Olympic Park, 3105 Clarks Bridge Road