Tom Wear Memorial Swim honors Sept. 11 heroes on Saturday

On Saturday, we are honoring the K9 Heroes of 9/11 at our third annual Tom Wear Memorial Swim, which is a one- and two-mile swim in Lake Hopatcong.  Registration opens at 7:30 a.m., and the race begins at 9 a.m., from the Prospect Point Boat Yard, around a marked course in Woodport Cove.
This year, to honor the K9 teams called to action on 9/11, we are proud to honor local and regional K9 teams. Not only will a portion of the net proceeds benefit K9 charities, but K9 teams will join the day’s events to give demonstrations and educate attendees on the purpose, commitment and skills of K9 teams.
Our event grows in popularity each year as word gets out to many athletes about our fun, well-run event in a beautiful, scenic lake setting, and with great race shirts and goody bags! This wouldn’t be possible without the many volunteers in our community coming together to make this a great and safe day for all. It also wouldn’t be possible without the support of our local business community.
This year is also a special year because we are offering our first two-mile swim as a practice run for when Lake Hopatcong hosts the US Masters Swimming Two-Mile Nationals in 2012. Our event was awarded this honor in 2010 because of the success we’ve had running a well-coordinated, organized and enjoyable race for participants, spectators and sponsors.
For this year’s event, we are allocating a portion of the net proceed to three organizations: Southern Tier Police Canine Association 11th Hour Rescue Jefferson Township Municipal Pound
We welcome all local swimmers to join our cause and event – our participants range in age from young adults to senior citizens, with the majority between the ages of 25 and 60. Register online to swim or to simply make a charitable PAWS donation. PAWS donation forms are also available locally at the Wearhouse Grille located at 161 Rt. 181, Lake Hopatcong.
This swim event is sanctioned by NJ LMSC for US Masters Swimming, Sanction ID 071-S06.
Visit our event website: www.swimlakehopatcong.com.
Make an online PAWS donation for our charities by visiting https://www.compuscorereg.com//register/default.aspx?event=5478  and follow the link for “charitable donation.”