An open-water swimming race befitting the big city

Of the endurance sports races held in Chicago, the Big Shoulders open-water swim probably doesn't belong in the same company with high-profile events like the Accenture triathlon and LaSalle Bank marathon.

And that makes sense. After all, swimming 5 kilometers -- roughly three miles -- in Lake Michigan isn't for the masses.

On the weekend after Labor Day every September, the big lake's waters along Ohio Street beach usually are a bit nippy and wavy, sometimes weedy and occasionally even fishy.

I hope it goes without saying that anybody doubting whether they can complete the 5K distance probably shouldn't try to do it here first. For the less adventurous, a 2.5K swim also is offered and has become quite popular.

Big Shoulders is the best endurance race Chicago offers because it is so unique to Chicago.

For starters, it's much smaller in scope than the giant races that monopolize downtown Chicago for a day. With around 650 swimmers and a start time of 8 a.m., Saturday's race will be all but over by about 10 a.m. No roads need to be closed, and ample parking for spectators and competitors is available at nearby Navy Pier.

Since the race is held along Ohio Street Beach -- two laps around a triangular course marked by buoys inside the breakwaters -- spectators have two fine spots from which to watch the race: from neat little Olive Beach, where the race starts and finishes, or from the raised concrete beach area along Lake Shore Drive, which parallels the finishing leg of the course.

Big Shoulders has functioned semiregularly as the national championship for the 5K distance by U.S. Masters Swimming, which means it routinely draws some of the best open-water swimmers in the country. And a bit of gawking at superfit athletes is always fun -- a spectator sport in its own way.

Another interesting feature of Big Shoulders is that the best open-water swimmers usually are not young kids. While the race is open to anyone 18 or older, it is sanctioned by the Illinois Masters Swimming Association, and a clear majority of competitors are older than 30.

The men's winner is usually in his 40s. I haven't figured out exactly why that is, but I suspect it has more to do with sociology than physiology.

Running a race this large requires lots of volunteer labor, and Big Shoulders gets most of its work force from the UIC men's and women's swimming teams. In turn, those teams benefit financially from the race.

The safety detail is handled by those familiar orange-clad Chicago Park District lifeguards. They're out there floating in lifeboats at regular intervals along the course.

Most of the sponsors involved in Big Shoulders will be familiar to swimmers, but a mystery to non-swimmers. Competitors get a reliably sharp-looking T-shirt, designed by the brother of race director Chris Sheean.

Among the competitors, there's a refreshing lack of pretentious banter about bikes, shoes and other gear, as sometimes happens in triathlons.

Swimmers tend to have conversations about Big Shoulders legends such as Tom Boettcher, who completes the 5K distance swimming only butterfly each year, or George Wendt (no, not the actor), who's closing in on 60 years but still reliably whips just about everybody's tail.

Big Shoulders was founded by famed Chicago swimmer Bill Mulliken, who won Olympic gold in the 1960 Rome Games. Mulliken has referred to Big Shoulders as the "world's most architecturally significant race," and I'm inclined to agree.

It's easy to take the Chicago skyline for granted, but the view from the water, in the shadow of the Hancock building, Lake Point Tower and the Amoco building, is breathtaking.

One more thing makes this race distinctly and uniquely Chicago.

In open-water swimming, wetsuits are assumed to be standard gear. Not so in Big Shoulders. Wetsuiters are allowed to race but are given their own category, apart from the main event.

So, yes, the water's usually kind of cold. Yes, the race starts early in the morning and air temperatures also can be brisk. But in this race the emphasis is on simplicity and toughness.

I like to think of Big Shoulders as competitive swimming at its purest: Put on a suit and goggles and race for about three miles in the biggest swimming pool in the Midwest. And don't forget your big shoulders. Trust me -- you'll need them.

If you go

• Big Shoulders will be held Saturday, Sept. 8 at Ohio Street Beach. First wave of 5K swim starts at 8 a.m.; first wave of 2.5K swim starts at 8:15 a.m.

• Parking is available at Navy Pier. Competitors get a discounted rate.

• This year's event benefits the Alliance for the Great Lakes, an organization dedicated to protecting the health of the entire Great Lakes basin.