Boston Rowing Marathon
The Boston Rowing Marathon is a Head race taking place on the third Sunday of September annually in Lincolnshire, England, over the exceptionally long distance of 31 miles (49.88 km). The course is along the River Witham from Lincoln to Boston, finishing at the Boston clubhouse.
Records
The current record for this is 2hrs 59mins 45secs, by a University of London men's eight, set in 1991.[1] It is organised by Boston Rowing Club. The long distance of the event makes it unique in British rowing and thus attracts a lot of entries; some competing for a time, others only wanting to complete the distance. The event is also unusual in accepting entries from all crews and categories. The 2006 marathon had 283 entries.
Start point
The current start is a set of landing stages at Stamp End Lock, Waterside South, Lincoln, opposite the home of Lincs FM, and also the location of the Lincoln Rowing Centre, which was only founded in 2006 after many years of the Marathon being the only rowing hosted in Lincoln.[2]
The race is also a favourite for its witty T-Shirts: "It's long and hard" being a classic reused for the 2006 marathon.
History
The event started as a one off competition in 1946, as a pub bet, and was big news for the town. This original row was from Boston to Lincoln and was repeated for the next 3 years as a private event.
In 1949, Crowland Rowing Club also competed, and the course was reversed to finish at Boston. It was easier to finish at the boathouse, and the pub was next door.
In 1950 the event was opened to all competitors and has remained so to this day. It was cancelled in 2000, due to the fuel crisis. It was also cancelled in 2011 due to an unusually prolific growth of water weed.[3]
See also
- The Great River Race on the River Thames, founded in 1988, is a 22 mile rowing race, but is only open to traditional boats.
- The Ringvaart Regatta, founded in 1976, is a 100 km rowing race on the Ringvaart in the Netherlands.
References
External links
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