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The Fat Salmon Swim: Lake Washington's open-water race since 1999

Since 1999 the Fat Salmon Swim has run 3.2 miles from under I-90 to Madison Park. A Kenmore masters club now runs it; no 2027 date is posted.

<h6>Seattle Fitness Magazine · 28 Sep 2026</h6><ul><li><strong>3.2</strong>miles of open water</li><li><strong>315</strong>2026 finishers</li><li><strong>2</strong>hour cutoff</li></ul><h2>A Lake Washington swim since 1999</h2> <p><b>The Fat Salmon Swim is 3.2 miles of open water.</b></p><p>It starts in the lake off the Day Street Boat Ramp, directly beneath I-90, runs north through the stretch of Lake Washington between the I-90 and 520 bridges, and finishes at Madison Park Beach, where swimmers climb four stairs out of the water.</p><p>It began in 1999 and is held in July. It has also missed years: there was no race in 2005, the 2020 edition was cancelled for COVID, 2021 ran as a virtual swim, and 2023 was cancelled because Madison Park Beach was closed.</p> <h2>The bar to enter</h2> <p><b>The race sets its own fitness test.</b></p><p>Its safety page says that anyone who cannot swim in water of about 60 degrees Fahrenheit for two hours &quot;should NOT participate in this race,&quot; and swimmers who are not on target to finish within two hours are pulled from the water.</p><p>The FAQ says the lake has run anywhere from 58 to 76 degrees &quot;at this time of year.&quot; There are two divisions, wetsuit and no-wetsuit, and wetsuits are not allowed if the water reaches 78 degrees, under US Masters Swimming rules.</p> <h2>The club that took it on</h2> <p>Since 2024 the race has been run by the North End Otters, a masters swim team based in Kenmore, as a fundraiser for the club, which is a 501(c)(7) nonprofit. The club describes itself on its site as &quot;a community of swimmers, aged 18 years to over 80, who inspire each other to be our best.&quot;</p><p>Its first year in charge ran without timing chips; volunteers called out numbers as swimmers came up the beach. Colleen Wahlstrom, writing about that race for Team Walker International Masters, noted that the women&#x27;s wetsuit winner &quot;had to spend a lot of time straightening out her race time to win her salmon.&quot;</p> <h2>Madrona, then Madison again</h2> <p><b>In 2025 the city closed Madison Park Beach again, and the race finished at Madrona Park Beach rather than cancelling.</b></p><p>That year produced its own set of Madrona-course records. For 2026 the race&#x27;s meet listing put the finish back at Madison Park, with permits secured for Madrona as the alternative. The Madison-course records are older.</p><p>Both men&#x27;s marks date from July 19, 2014, set by Steve Sholdra without a wetsuit and Zach Walters in one; the women&#x27;s marks belong to Ava Hamblett, without a wetsuit in 2024, and Haleigh Werner, in one in 2015.</p> <h2>The 2026 race</h2> <p><b>The 2026 results list 315 finishers, 128 in wetsuits and 187 without.</b></p><p>Daniel Chang won the no-wetsuit men&#x27;s race in 1:07:33.20, the fastest time of the day, and Addie Paige was the fastest woman without a wetsuit in 1:12:09.20. In the wetsuit division Meredith Thompson finished first overall in 1:08:30.2, ahead of every man in it; Paul Skoglund was the top man at 1:09:44.9.</p> <h2>How to get in the water</h2> <p><b>No 2027 date is posted yet.</b></p><p>The organizing club trains at Aqua Club, 18512 58th Ave NE in Kenmore, and its site lists practices weekdays from 8 to 9am and Saturdays from 7 to 8am, beginning September 16. Workouts cost $135 a month or $17 as a drop-in, and the club offers a one-week free trial. For anyone aiming at the next Fat Salmon, that pool is where the people who run it swim.</p>
Seattle Fitness Magazine · 28 Sep 2026
  • 3.2miles of open water
  • 3152026 finishers
  • 2hour cutoff

A Lake Washington swim since 1999

The Fat Salmon Swim is 3.2 miles of open water.

It starts in the lake off the Day Street Boat Ramp, directly beneath I-90, runs north through the stretch of Lake Washington between the I-90 and 520 bridges, and finishes at Madison Park Beach, where swimmers climb four stairs out of the water.

It began in 1999 and is held in July. It has also missed years: there was no race in 2005, the 2020 edition was cancelled for COVID, 2021 ran as a virtual swim, and 2023 was cancelled because Madison Park Beach was closed.

The bar to enter

The race sets its own fitness test.

Its safety page says that anyone who cannot swim in water of about 60 degrees Fahrenheit for two hours "should NOT participate in this race," and swimmers who are not on target to finish within two hours are pulled from the water.

The FAQ says the lake has run anywhere from 58 to 76 degrees "at this time of year." There are two divisions, wetsuit and no-wetsuit, and wetsuits are not allowed if the water reaches 78 degrees, under US Masters Swimming rules.

The club that took it on

Since 2024 the race has been run by the North End Otters, a masters swim team based in Kenmore, as a fundraiser for the club, which is a 501(c)(7) nonprofit. The club describes itself on its site as "a community of swimmers, aged 18 years to over 80, who inspire each other to be our best."

Its first year in charge ran without timing chips; volunteers called out numbers as swimmers came up the beach. Colleen Wahlstrom, writing about that race for Team Walker International Masters, noted that the women's wetsuit winner "had to spend a lot of time straightening out her race time to win her salmon."

Madrona, then Madison again

In 2025 the city closed Madison Park Beach again, and the race finished at Madrona Park Beach rather than cancelling.

That year produced its own set of Madrona-course records. For 2026 the race's meet listing put the finish back at Madison Park, with permits secured for Madrona as the alternative. The Madison-course records are older.

Both men's marks date from July 19, 2014, set by Steve Sholdra without a wetsuit and Zach Walters in one; the women's marks belong to Ava Hamblett, without a wetsuit in 2024, and Haleigh Werner, in one in 2015.

The 2026 race

The 2026 results list 315 finishers, 128 in wetsuits and 187 without.

Daniel Chang won the no-wetsuit men's race in 1:07:33.20, the fastest time of the day, and Addie Paige was the fastest woman without a wetsuit in 1:12:09.20. In the wetsuit division Meredith Thompson finished first overall in 1:08:30.2, ahead of every man in it; Paul Skoglund was the top man at 1:09:44.9.

How to get in the water

No 2027 date is posted yet.

The organizing club trains at Aqua Club, 18512 58th Ave NE in Kenmore, and its site lists practices weekdays from 8 to 9am and Saturdays from 7 to 8am, beginning September 16. Workouts cost $135 a month or $17 as a drop-in, and the club offers a one-week free trial. For anyone aiming at the next Fat Salmon, that pool is where the people who run it swim.

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