Annual Open Water Swim Benefits Cancer Research at University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center

Swim Across America, the national nonprofit organization that makes waves to fight cancer through charity swims across the U.S., will host its eighth annual Swim Across America – Motor City Mile Open Water Swim on Friday, July 10, 2026, at the Belle Isle Beach House, at Oakway and Riverbank Drive, in Detroit. The community swim welcomes swimmers of all ages and skill levels, from first-time open water swimmers to veteran athletes and master swimmers, even some Olympic swimmers join in, with swim options including a quarter-mile, half-mile, 1-mile and 2-mile swim. For those unable to participate in person, a virtual SAA My Way option is also available. Proceeds benefit cancer research at the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center, where roughly 500 researchers are working to prevent cancer, improve outcomes for those diagnosed and improve quality of life for cancer patients and survivors. To register to swim, volunteer or to support the swim with a tax-deductible donation, visit swimacrossamerica.org/motorcitymile.

“Swim Across America – Motor City Mile is a powerful and inspiring event that brings together swimmers, volunteers, cancer survivors, families and supporters who all share the same goal: making waves to fight cancer,” said Patrick Weiss, one of the event directors of Swim Across America – Motor City Mile, and a cancer survivor himself. “Since our first Detroit swim in 2019, this community has raised more than $600,000 for the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center. Every swimmer, every volunteer and every donor is helping fund research that can lead to better treatments and more hope for patients and families.”

Each year, Swim Across America – Motor City Mile hosts more than 150 swimmers and volunteers, spectators and supporters, as well as Olympians from near and far, for the annual charity swim at Belle Isle Beach.

The impact of the Motor City Mile can be seen in the research it helps seed. Kyoung Lee, Ph.D., with Rogel Cancer Center, went on to receive a $1.4 million grant from the National Cancer Institute to study the role of low oxygen supply in pancreatic cancer. Initial funding for this project was granted by Swim Across America – Motor City Mile and Dr. Lee cites Swim Across America as providing the funding to get the research to where it is today. 

“This is exactly why Swim Across America matters,” Patrick Weiss noted. “The funds raised here in Detroit help provide early support for promising research, and that early support can lead to larger grants, new discoveries and progress for cancer patients. It is incredibly meaningful to know that our swimmers and supporters are helping move cancer research forward.”

For swimmer Mary Guyette, of Redford Michigan, the Motor City Mile is deeply personal. She is swimming the 1-mile event in loving memory of her mother and in support of the cancer center that has offered hope to her family and close friends.

“I joined Swim Across America – Motor City Mile to help support the Rogel Cancer Center at the University of Michigan because they have offered hope and support to family and close friends of mine, including my mom,” Mary Guyette said. “This year, I will be participating in the 1-mile swim event, in loving memory of my mom.”

Swimmer Allison Randall of Livonia, Michigan, first participated in Swim Across America – Motor City Mile in 2019, swimming a half-mile in open water for the first time and raising $800. Since then, she has returned each year, committed to swimming and raising as much as she can. This year, her swim has taken on even greater meaning.

“In March, my boyfriend was diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumor,” Allison Randall shared. “He underwent surgery to remove it, and we later learned it is ATRT, a rare, grade 4 cancer that affects the central nervous system, including the brain and spinal cord. He and his family are now working with an incredible team of doctors, surgeons, nurses and support staff at the University of Michigan hospital to develop the best possible treatment plan. One of the things I’ve always valued most about the Swim Across America – Motor City Mile swim is that funds raised directly support the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center, something that now means even more to me. Their mission has three parts: patient care, research and education. This event plays a role in advancing all three.”

Another longtime Swim Across America – Motor City Mile participant, Kara Wolter (Herzfeld), is a metastatic osteosarcoma survivor and the event’s current No. 1 individual fundraiser, having raised more than $5,300 so far for the 2026 swim. Kara was diagnosed in March 2017 at age 26 with bone cancer that began in her left knee and spread to her lungs. Over three years, she underwent six different chemotherapies, multiple biopsies, procedures and surgeries, ultimately losing her left leg above the knee and having six lung wedge resection surgeries to remove tumors in her lungs. Kara has been given the designation of NED — no evidence of disease — for five years and is now a 35-year-old cancer survivor. 

“Swimming is one of the few activities that makes me feel normal now, even with the loss of my leg,” Kara said. Kara began swimming at age 10 and now works as an assistant coach for the same swim team where she learned to swim. She has participated in Swim Across America – Motor City Mile for seven years to support the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center. “The money that I raise will support the Rogel Cancer Center to further research and treatment options for all different types of cancers,” Kara noted.

Nationally, Swim Across America has raised more than $150 million for cancer research since its founding in 1987 and has helped fund clinical trials that contributed to the FDA-approved cancer immunotherapy medications Keytruda, Opdivo, Yervoy and Tecentriq. In the past year, Swim Across America funded a breakthrough clinical trial at Memorial Sloan Kettering that showed that immunotherapy alone could successfully treat certain types of cancer. The organization also recently awarded two first-of-its-kind gene editing innovation grants to the Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, advancing novel CRISPR gene and base editing techniques used in targeted therapies, immunotherapies and cellular therapies. Swim Across America supports more than 60 cancer research projects annually, has eight named Swim Across America labs, and supports work at many of the nation’s leading cancer institutions.

For those interested in swimming, volunteering or donating to the eighth annual Swim Across America – Motor City Mile Open Water Swim on July 10, please visit swimacrossamerica.org/motorcitymile.

Swim Across America, Inc. (SAA) is dedicated to raising money and awareness for cancer research, prevention and treatment through swimming-related events. With open water and pool swims in 27 communities across the United States – from Nantucket to under the Golden Gate Bridge – Swim Across America, along with the help of thousands of swimmers and volunteers nationwide, and past and current Olympians, is helping find better treatments and a cure for cancer through athleticism, community outreach and direct service. To learn more, visit swimacrossamerica.org.