Entries Now Being Accepted for The Great Arkansas River 5k Survival Swim

Entries and bids are now being accepted for the first ever Great Arkansas River 5k Survival Swim to take place July 27th on the Arkansas River. The event seeks to bring the most darwinian swimmers in the country to the Arkansas River.

The swim hopes to attract at least 500 swimmers to the event, which is free to participate. Individuals and corporations are encouraged to place bids on how many swimmers total survive the event, and on the survival of individual swimmers. Swimmers who do survive the entire 5k swim will receive a portion of the bid money.

The remaining money raised from the event will go to support the Red Cross swimmer safety and education program in the state. The event estimates it will be able to donate over $250,000 to the Red Cross due to the low chance of survival for any of the swimmers.

The event will start at 8 a.m. at the Big Dam Bridge and follow a course down river to the Broadway Bridge, which is roughly 5.2 kilometers. The event will end when all participants either cross the Broadway Bridge finish line, quit and swim to shore, or are declared missing by the Arkansas branch of the US Coast Guard.

“We think this is an excellent opportunity to have fun and raise money for a good cause,” says the event founders. “Not only do we get to raise money to support swim safety, but we get to show first hand what happens when you swim in a dangerous environment.”

Despite the fact that swimmers face near certain death during the swim the event has already attracted 325 participants, including a number of our Rock City Times commenters. While participants are required to both sign a waiver and have proof of an active will and testament the event has partnered with local law firms to provide those services on site for walk up participants on event day.