Swim The Fish

On August 8, 2026, the City Beach in Whitefish hosts three open water distances: 805 meters, 1609 meters, and 5000 meters. The course takes place entirely within Whitefish Lake, a natural body of water spanning 5.2 square miles with a maximum depth of 233 feet. Participants navigate a freshwater environment characterized by a length of 5.8 miles and mountainous surroundings situated on the western slope of the Continental Divide. The event is organized by The Wave Aquatics and Fitness Center, aligning with the region's long-standing athletic focus on multisport endurance.

The landscape from the water

As you sight your path, the shoreline reflects the area's history as a site inhabited by the Kutenai, Pend d'Oreilles, and Bitterroot Salish for over 14,000 years. Near the river outlet, swimmers may spot the Ray E. Taylor House, a Tudor Revival residence constructed between 1929 and 1931 that remains a prominent visual marker from the water. While the town was once nicknamed 'Stumptown' due to the widespread timber clearing required for the railroad's arrival, the current view from the lake is dominated by the dense pine forests of the Montana mountains. During the approach to the finish, if you are lucky with the wind, you might catch the sound of the restored 1919 municipal siren, originally installed as a curfew device and re-mounted at the city hall in 2017. The local water culture here is substantial, often overlapping with events like the local 50-mile multisport relay that utilizes the surrounding lake systems for its paddling stages. The water temperature in early August typically remains steady, providing a consistent environment for the 5000m long-distance swimmers as they traverse the deeper central basins of the lake.