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Swimmers take to the water at 4:30 p.m. today for SwimBowen

On Saturday July 20, 75 swimmers will dive into Tunstall Bay at 4:30 p.m. to complete SwimBowen 2019, a 500 or 1000 metre course with all proceeds benefitting the SwimBowen Society.
SwimBowen
SwimBowen founder Mary Letson (left) and 2019 SwimBowen participant Beth Burnham (right) do a practice swim. Burnham is a school teacher in Angola training to do a half Ironman in Whistler the weekend after SwimBowen.

On Saturday July 20, 75 swimmers will dive into Tunstall Bay at 4:30 p.m. to complete SwimBowen 2019, a 500 or 1000 metre course with all proceeds benefitting the SwimBowen Society. With 35 registrants from Bowen Island, the rest are from Whistler, Squamish, the Lower Mainland and as far away as California (a returning swimmer) and Angola! The event has a great inclusive feel, attracting a marvelous balance of seasoned athletes tuning up for the Whistler Ironman, novice competitors looking to hone their triathlete skills, as well as recreational swimmers looking to stretch their experience level. We are so grateful for the enthusiastic support of 45 volunteers and 29 corporate and community sponsors that have pulled together to float this year’s event in style.

SwimBowen sprang from a wild idea to unite a passion for ocean swimming with a cause very close to the hearts of the community. The SwimBowen Society’s Cancer Care Fund provides financial gifts to Bowen Island residents in active cancer treatment. Recently, the Cancer Care Fund has expanded the scope of gifts to include those cancer patients in palliative care. So far this year we are humbled and grateful to have gifted $9000 to Cancer Care Fund recipients, quietly easing the arduous road of cancer treatment. SwimBowen 2019 has raised $18,000 to date––and we’re not done yet!

Excited? Inspired? Us too. Come join us at Tunstall Bay to cheer, enjoy a beach day and join in on the feel good event of the season. At 5:15 p.m., we will have an awards ceremony complete with amazing prizes, a fabulous BBQ (thanks in part to Alderwood Farms) for swimmers, volunteers and spectators. For more information about the SwimBowen Society, or to donate to the Cancer Care Fund, please visit us at swimbowen.com. See you on the beach!