Great Lake Plunge

About the Event

The Great Lake Plunge is Evanston's only open water swimming event. The swim consists of three events: 4K, 2K, 1K. This is a not-for-profit event which provides grants to support local water safety training and awareness This is a unique, family friendly event that will leave an impression for years to come. Visit our website for detailed information.

The racecourse is a 1K GPS buoyed rectangle. Swimmers will start at the southwest corner and be directed clockwise, first heading northwest, then turning northeast before returning southeast and finally southwest, back to the starting area. Buoys will be placed at the corners and halfway points.

The 1K swimmers swim 1 loop, 2K swimmers 2 loops, and 4K swimmers 4 loops.

Races Offered

1K Non-Wetsuit

Jul 26, 2026

straighten

Distance — 1K

terrain

Type — Water sports

timer

07:00

sell

$50.00

1K Wetsuit

Jul 26, 2026

straighten

Distance — 1K

terrain

Type — Water sports

timer

07:00

sell

$50.00

2K Non-Wetsuit

Jul 26, 2026

straighten

Distance — 2K

terrain

Type — Water sports

timer

07:00

sell

$80.00

2K Wetsuit

Jul 26, 2026

straighten

Distance — 2K

terrain

Type — Water sports

timer

07:00

sell

$80.00

4K Non-Wetsuit

Jul 26, 2026

straighten

Distance — 4K

terrain

Type — Water sports

timer

07:00

sell

$90.00

4K Wetsuit

Jul 26, 2026

straighten

Distance — 4K

terrain

Type — Water sports

timer

07:00

sell

$90.00

Weather History

These values represent the 3-year monthly averages for July in Evanston.

thermostat Temperature

19.1° / 27.3°

wb_sunny Feels like

19.4° / 28.2°

light_mode Avg sunshine hours

11h 48m

water_drop Avg rainfall

4.4 mm

ac_unit Avg snowfall

—

air Avg wind speed

10.2 km/h (Light breeze)

opacity Sweat loss rate

High

terrain Course conditions

Hard and dry surface

sunny Max UV Index

Very High (8.0)

humidity_mid Humidity

74.4%

wb_twilight Sunrise

05:30

nightlight Sunset

20:22

About Evanston

Learn more about the host city, Evanston.

Evanston is a city in the North Shore region of Illinois along the shores of Lake Michigan. Evanston has many identities: college town, dining destination, cultural center and gateway to the wealthy North Shore, although the city itself is anything but homogeneous in regards to economic status, culture and race.