A busy Saturday afternoon ahead on the Thames

The River Thames in a sporting context is synonymous with the Oxford and Cambridge University Boat Race which takes place every April. This Saturday 31 March there’s a much larger rowing event taking place on the Thames, the annual Head of the River Race.

This is a race that features crews of eight just like the University Boat Race but is not limited to just two teams. In fact its open to anyone and 420 crews will be racing this year, with most of the rowing clubs in Britain having a team. The race is run over the same 4.5 mile stretch of river as the Boat Race, from Mortlake to Putney, except its in the other direction. Oxford and Cambridge race east to west, Head of the River crews come west to east. The Thames is tidal and the race is timed to start an hour or so after the tide has turned so the crews are rowing with the fastest current.

With so many teams taking part the race has a staggered start with each crew setting off at short intervals and individually timed over the course. Apparently its a big advantage to be one of the first to start, rowing into undisturbed water.

The first crew starts the Head of the River at 3.45pm and crews normally take between 15-25 minutes to row the course. The whole event normally lasts around two hours and should be fun to watch from the river banks especially if you can find a spot at a riverside pub.