Head of the River Race

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Rowing eight at Hammersmith Bridge at Head 2005

The Head of the River Race (HORR) is a long-distance rowing regatta for eight in London . It was first held in 1926 and goes back to an idea of ​​the British rowing coach Steve Fairbairn . The length of the section of the Thames, known as the “ Championship Course ”, between the London districts of Mortlake and Putney is around 6.8 kilometers. The 400 starting places for the regatta that takes place annually in March are regularly overbooked.

history

Steve Fairbairn was a successful rowing coach with various clubs in London and Cambridge in the 1920s . He initiated the Head of the River Race because he believed in a good training effect by rowing longer distances at competition intensities. He had therefore not originally conceived the race as a regatta, as the following quote from him shows:

“My dear boy, you are under a wrong impression. It is not a race, it is merely a means of getting crews to do long rows. "

“My dear boy, you have the wrong impression. It's not a race, it's more of a measure so that teams row long distances. "

- Steve Fairbairn

The event therefore takes place in the preparatory phase of a season, since the second edition in 1927 always on the third or fourth weekend in March. Fairbairn chose the same section of the Thames in London as the route on which the Boat Race between the universities of Oxford and Cambridge is held. Unlike the Boat Race, however, the Head Race is rowed downstream at low tide .

In the first edition on December 12, 1926, 21 teams from London participated. In the following years, the event quickly gained popularity, so that in 1939 there were already 154 rowing eights. In 1937 the race was canceled because there was no suitable tide on the Thames at any time. Between 1940 and 1945 the race did not take place due to the Second World War. From 1946 on, the number of participants continued to grow. For safety reasons, a maximum of 420 eights have been allowed since 1979, and only 400 since 2010. In 2004 and 2013, the race was canceled due to bad weather. In 2007, after 45 boats had started, it was canceled due to the weather, after 16 boats broke up and could not finish the race. In 2014, after around 75 teams had started, the race was canceled for similar reasons.

The level of performance of the teams participating in the Head of the River Race is very different. Many national team rowers from Great Britain row in the best teams, and national teams from other countries also regularly take part in the event. In the back of the starting field, on the other hand, there are numerous junior and beginner teams. All British teams are classified and rated according to the classification system of their association, British Rowing, according to performance. 60 starting places are reserved for non- UK clubs (usually Ireland and Europe). For years, around 30 to 40 teams have been reported from German-speaking countries.

format

Schematic route with landmarks of the Head of the River Race on the Thames in London

At the Head of the River Race, only men are allowed to row, women are only allowed as helmsmen . The Women's Eights Head of the River Race (WEHORR) with a maximum of 320 teams takes place around two weeks before the men's head on the same route. The teams taking part in the HORR must continue to be pure club teams; the racing groups of rowers from different clubs in one boat , which are otherwise common in rowing, are not permitted.

The starting order of the 400 or so teams depends largely on the results of the previous year. Reaching one of the first 280 places is linked to qualification for the following year and accordingly also determines the start number. Teams registering for the first time must apply by lot for one of the remaining 120 starting places.

The start of the race at Chiswick Bridge in the Mortlake district takes place at low tide around two hours after the high tide. At this time there is about the strongest current on the Thames. The strongest team from the previous year opens the race with a flying start, all other teams follow on the fly every 10 seconds. The time is measured individually for each team. For organizational reasons, the 400 or so teams are divided into about 8 blocks (“divisions”), between which there is a break of several minutes at the start.

After the start, the teams row a distance of 6.8 kilometers, the finish is a little above the Putney Bridge in the Putney district . Overtaking teams that have started before is permitted on the route, which is characterized by two large curves. The winning time is usually between 17 and 18 minutes, the course record set by the British national eight in 1987 is 16:37 minutes. As usual in rowing, the achievable route times are heavily dependent on the weather conditions.

Ratings

Winning team at Head 2011 from Leander Club

At the Head of the River Race, the fastest boats in various categories are honored with a trophy.

  • The overall winner receives the Fairbairn Trophy . It has the shape of a bust of the initiator of the Head of the River Race.
  • The Vernon Trophy is awarded to the fastest club team whose rowing area is on the Thames below the Teddington Lock , ie in the part of the river affected by the tides of the North Sea (“tideway”). The award was donated by the British rower Karl Vernon in 1954 by melting down the medals he had collected over many years and making a trophy in the form of a statue of the rower Jack Beresford .
  • The Page Trophy wins the fastest club team that is located in the area of ​​the Thames or its backwaters but cannot win the Vernon Trophy . The award is reminiscent of JH Page.
  • The Jackson Trophy can be won by any British team that cannot win the Vernon Trophy or the Page Trophy .
  • The fastest university team wins the Bernard Churcher Trophy .
  • The Halladay Trophy wins the fastest team at a British university with a maximum of "Intermediate 1" status in the British Rowing classification system .
  • The fastest team not from the UK will receive the Overseas Entrants Trophy .
  • For the fastest lightweight team, there is a Lightweight Pennant ("lightweight pennant")
  • The Services Pennant ("Armed Forces Pennant") is awarded to the fastest crew in the UK Armed Forces .
  • The fastest teams in the various classification levels of British Rowing receive badges.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Percival Searle: FAIRBAIRN, STEPHEN (1862-1938), always known as Steve Fairbairn . In: Dictionary of Australian Biography . Angus & Robertson, 1949 ( online [accessed April 27, 2013]).
  2. ↑ Michael D. De B. Collins Persse: Fairbairn, Stephen (Steve) (1862-1938) . In: Australian Dictionary of Biography . tape 8 . Melbourne University Press , 1981 ( online [accessed April 27, 2013]).
  3. ^ Adelaide University Boat Club: Rowing Quotes. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on May 2, 2013 ; Retrieved April 27, 2013 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.aubc.asn.au
  4. ^ The first race: From the Rowing Almanack and Oarsman's Companion, 1927, reporting on races during 1926. Archived from the original on April 8, 2011 ; Retrieved April 27, 2013 .
  5. ↑ Result of the HORR 1939. (PDF; 1.6 MB) (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on May 14, 2013 ; Retrieved April 27, 2013 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.horr.co.uk
  6. ↑ Frank Brülin on rudern.de: High waves in London - Treviris Trier the only German boat in the destination. (No longer available online.) April 5, 2007, formerly in the original ; Retrieved May 1, 2013 .  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Toter Link / www.rudern.de  
  7. ↑ HoRR 2014 Race Abandonment. March 29, 2014, archived from the original on July 29, 2014 ; accessed on March 30, 2014 .
  8. ↑ 2013 Head of the River Race. In: www.worldrowing.com. World Rowing Association , accessed on May 1, 2013 .
  9. ↑ a b c With the classification system rowing teams in Great Britain are roughly classified according to their ability. On the website of the British Rowing Federation British Rowing , the classification system is explained (English).
  10. ^ The Head of the River Race 2013: Entry Details (Overseas Clubs). Retrieved May 1, 2013 .
  11. ↑ a b This information can be found in the corresponding result lists: Head of the River Race: Results Archive. Retrieved May 1, 2013 .
  12. ^ The Head of the River Race 2013: General Entry Instructions. Retrieved May 1, 2013 .