XUNHUA - A total of 345 swimmers from 12 countries and regions will attempt to swim across the Yellow River on Saturday in an annual challenge held in northwest China's Qinghai province.

Swimmers have been separated into eight groups according to their ages and gender. Winners from every group will be awarded with prize money ranging from 1,000 to 10,000 yuan (about 158 to $1,580).

More than 300 swimmers tested water Friday.

Located at the altitude of 1,800 meters above the sea level, Xunhua is considered to have the warmest weather in Qinghai province. The water temperature will be about 11 Celsius degrees while the river flow rate will be 2 meters per second during the race days, according to the organizers.

"High altitude and thin air as well as cold and rapid current will be a brand new experience for me in open water swimming race, " said Chen Liwen, a swimmer from Shanxi province.

The Yellow River, or Huang He, is the second-longest river in China after the Yangtze and the sixth-longest in the world at the estimated length of 5,464 kilometers.