"Thank you so much, Chris. This was my first EVER swim race and I signed up because I thought it would be beneficial for Ironman training. I had such an amazing experience and you/your team were true professionals throughout the entire process; I was pretty nervous but everyone was so kind and excited that it totally dispelled my worries. Thank you for putting on such a top notch event. I am super excited for next year!"

“Thank you and everyone who made today possible. I had so much fun today and enjoyed every moment. This event was so well planned, organized, safe, and the communication was amazing. Congratulations on the inaugural Portland Mile!”

“Thank you so much for dreaming up and executing the Portland Mile. It was joyful and positive and everyone was having a blast. Bravo!!”

“Thank you so much to you and to all of the other volunteers who made the Portland Mile swim happen. Things went really smoothly for the event and I know that was due to lots of work and careful preparation. I’m very grateful.”

“Thank you so much for such a wonderful experience yesterday with the 1 mile swim. It was so much fun and the camaraderie of the fellow swimmers made it such a special event. I have done many swim, run and other events in my time but this was by far one of the most organized and enjoyable events I’ve done. Thank you for putting this together as well as a big thank you to all the volunteers that helped you make it happen!”

“Thanks so much for organizing the race! It was really fun. Look forward to doing it again!”

“Chris and the entire team of volunteers - thank you, thank you, thank you! The inaugural race was a wonderful event to be a part of thanks to all your hard work, wonderful vibe, and beautiful smiles! The attention to detail and all the communications before, during and after the race were excellent! Great leadership Chris! Already looking forward to next year's swim!”

"So grateful for the inaugural Portland Mile! Sure, an organized, timed swim is always welcome in open water. This one was, however, so well done with so many helpful volunteers and cheery swimmers - flawless! And to swim in the Willamette river, the soul of the Rose City, on a glorious sunny June day is to know what it is to be alive. They say no person steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and that person is not the same person. I look forward to where we all are next year and the year after that and the year after that as the Portland Mile returns!”

“Thank you for all the hard work you did to put on that swim! You did an amazing job and if I didn’t know, I would never have suspected it was an inaugural event! Very impressive!”

“Just wanted to send a message to thank you for putting on such a fun event!! Spending yesterday morning on the grass, in the sun and with the good company that is Portland’s open water community…well, it just really was what I needed. It was really well organized and run and I had no idea I was going to leave with a new pair of free goggles! So cool!”

“I’m so happy you created this event! Love the way this is swim focused and highlights the swimmable river that runs through our city! The event was so smoothly run and felt very safe. I had the best time! Can’t wait to see it grow. Thanks so much for creating it!”

“What a FANTASTIC event today!!! I had so much fun swimming and connecting with others. Incredibly well organized and executed. I hope this is the start of many more to come. Really appreciate all that you and the volunteers did to pull this off. Seamless!”

“Thanks so much for putting this together! I really appreciated all the great communication, and your hard work made the whole day a lot of fun! Look forward to more opportunities to do this with all of Portland’s swim folks:) Thanks again, man, great job!”

The portland Mile - 6/14/2026