Mystic -Several hundred swimmers are expected to take to the Mystic River on July 11 to compete in the inaugural Mystic Sharkfest 1,500-meter swim.

The swimmers are expected to start at Mystic Seaport by swimming between the whaling ship Charles W. Morgan and the tall ship Joseph Conrad and out past Lighthouse Point before heading down the river and under the drawbridge. The race ends at Dock D at Seaport Marine with an awards ceremony at Red 36.

The race, which is being sponsored by the Downtown Merchants Association, is the result of a chance encounter last June at the Lady Liberty Sharkfest swim in New Jersey between event organizer Dave Horning of California-based Envirosports and Cheryl Robdau, a local swimmer who owns the Mystic Drawbridge Ice Cream shop.

When Robdau was called up to receive her award for placing second in the 55-59 age group, Horning asked he where she was from.

"When I said Mystic, he said 'I always wanted to do a race in the Mystic River,'" she said.

Horning then came to Mystic to look at a potential course and began discussing the logistics of the race. The merchants association also reached out to Mystic Seaport to see if it would be interested in hosting the start.

Seaport spokesman Dan McFadden said this week that the museum is always looking for new opportunities "to work with the community around us."

'This is done in other places and it looks like a great event," McFadden said. "It's a way to use our waterfront in a different way so it made sense for us. We're excited to be hosting it."

In addition to the economic benefit of racers and their supporters coming to Mystic, Robdau said race profits will be donated to the Seaport's sailing program.

"This is going to be great for Mystic. It will let the country see how beautiful our river is," she said. "And we're really happy the Seaport is on board with us. Doing it on private property makes it easier."

Spectators will be able to watch the racers from just a few feet away as they pass under the drawbridge and along Mystic River Park.

On the event website at www.sharkfest.com, Envirosports is not only promoting the race but Mystic as well.

"Don't miss the opportunity to explore this small town that is steeped in shipbuilding history," states the website. "Mystic Seaport is the nation's leading maritime museum. Its collections and exhibits include over 500 historic watercraft, a major research library, a large gallery of maritime art, a unique diorama displaying the town of Mystic as it was in the 19th century, a ship restoration shipyard, the Treworgy Planetarium, and a re-creation of a 19th-century seafaring village. You will also want to visit the Mystic Aquarium where you can actually pet the sharks ... the perfect conclusion to your Sharkfest weekend."

"We're hoping that people will come and stay the weekend," Robdau said.

The Sharkfest swims began more than two decades ago with a popular event from Alcatraz Island to downtown San Francisco. That race will be held for the 23rd time in August 2015 but is now part of a series that attracts swimmers from around the country. Races are slated for 2015 in San Francisco, Boston, Chicago, Lake Tahoe, Newport, R.I., San Diego, Easton, Md., Zihuatenejo, Mexico, and Jersey City, N.J., which is home for the Lady Liberty swim from the Statue of Liberty to Liberty State Park.

Robdau said she hopes to make the swim an annual event, pointing out that it is one of the few weekends in the tourist season without an event on the schedule.

Whether the course heads downstream or upstream in future years will depend on the tides. Details and registration for the swim are available at www.sharkfestswim.com.

The swim is the second large new endurance event being planned for Mystic this summer. The Hartford Marathon Foundation and the Mystic Rotary Club are organizing a half-marathon for June 28 that is expected to attract more than 1,000 runners and will in part take runners over the drawbridge and along the banks of the Mystic River.

j.wojtas@theday.com

Twitter: @joewojtas