Swimmers train for annual cancer-fighting fundraiser

In just one month, more than 500 swimmers will join forces in North Georgia to send a strong message: Together, we will win the fight against cancer.

 Swim Across America-Atlanta returns to Lake Lanier on Saturday, September 22nd, with more than 500 registered participants raising money for cancer research by jumping into the water and going for a swim.  Swim Across America was founded in 1987, and holds open-water swims across the country in an effort to raise money for cancer research, prevention, and treatment. 

The Atlanta open water swim has become one of the top fundraisers in the country, to date raising $1.2 million for research at the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorder Center of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.  Swimmers can register to participate as an individual or as part of a team, and choose from half-mile, one mile, 5K, and two-mile relay swims. 

This year, more than a dozen Olympic swimmers are registered to swim, along with local teams made up of high school students, swim clubs, and local corporations, and each registered swimmer pledges to raise at least $200 (for kids) or $400 (for adults).

Good Day Atlanta’s Paul Milliken spent the morning with Olympian Doug Gjertsen, who coaches Swim Across America-Atlanta morning practices at Georgia Tech, learning more about the important mission of Swim Across America.