The Boston Rowing Marathon is a Head race

Head race

A head race is a time-trial competition in the sport of rowing, also known as crew to a few USA organizations. Head races are typically held in the fall and spring seasons. These events draw many athletes as well as observers...

 taking place on the third Sunday of September annually in Lincolnshire

Lincolnshire

Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

, over the exceptionally long distance of 31 miles (49.88 km). The course is along the River Witham

River Witham

The River Witham is a river, almost entirely in the county of Lincolnshire, in the east of England. It rises south of Grantham close to South Witham, at SK8818, passes Lincoln at SK9771 and at Boston, TF3244, flows into The Haven, a tidal arm of The Wash, near RSPB Frampton Marsh...

 from Lincoln

Lincoln, Lincolnshire

Lincoln is a cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England.The non-metropolitan district of Lincoln has a population of 85,595; the 2001 census gave the entire area of Lincoln a population of 120,779....

 to Boston

Boston, Lincolnshire

Boston is a town and small port in Lincolnshire, on the east coast of England. It is the largest town of the wider Borough of Boston local government district and had a total population of 55,750 at the 2001 census...

, 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. It is organised by Boston Rowing Club. The long distance of the event makes it unique in British rowing

Rowing (sport)

Rowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, on lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water...

 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

Lincs FM

Lincs FM is an Independent Local Radio station serving Lincolnshire and Newark, from the Humber to The Wash. It is the current holder of the licence which was advertised by the Radio Authority on 4 March 1991.-Background:...

, 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.

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 .

See also

• The Great River Race
  Great River Race
  The Great River Race is an annual competition held on the River Thames for any traditional-style coxed boat propelled by oars or paddles.The competition was started in 1988 and covers a 21 mile course on the tidal Thames between Ham, London and Greenwich...
  
   on the River Thames
  River Thames
  The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
  
  , founded in 1988, is a 22 mile rowing race, but is only open to traditional boats.
• The Ringvaart Regatta
  Ringvaart Regatta
  The Ringvaart Regatta is a rowing race over the very long distance of . The Delftsche Studenten RoeiVereeniging Laga has organised the head race annually since 1976.-History:...
  
  , founded in 1976, is a 100km rowing race on the Ringvaart
  Ringvaart
  The Ringvaart is a canal in the province of North Holland, the Netherlands. The Ringvaart is a true circular canal surrounding the Haarlemmermeer polder and forms the boundary of the Haarlemmermeer municipality...
  
   in the Netherlands
  Netherlands
  The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
  
  .