By Scott Dobroski, Swimming World special correspondent
FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida, May 9. OLYMPIANS, legendary coaches, national team members and hundreds of swimmers from around the nation participated in the inaugural Fran Crippen SafeSwim on Fort Lauderdale Beach Saturday morning.
"The event was a big success and we want each year to be even bigger and better. 100 percent of the proceeds raised will go towards The Fran Crippen Elevation Foundation," said Maddy Crippen, Fran's older sister and a 2000 Olympian.
Notable names that flew in for this inaugural event included Aaron Peirsol, Peter Vanderkaay, Chloe Sutton, Chip Peterson, Jon Urbanchek, Emily Brunemann, Conor Dwyer, Maddy Crippen, Teresa Crippen, Madison Kennedy and more.
As part of this festival to celebrate Fran's legacy, swimmers competed in a 1 Mile Dash for Cash, as well as a 10 kilometer open water swim. Athletes also worked with young swimmers to help promote water safety.
Fran Crippen died during an open water race in Dubai, UAE last October.
For all the SwimmingWorld.TV coverage of the event, including a highlight package, visit our Event Landing Page.
