Head of the River Race

The Head of the River Race ( HORR ) is a long-distance rowing race for eighth in London. It was first held in 1926 and is based on an idea of the British rowing coach Steve Fairbairn. The track length on the " Championship Course " that section of the Thames between the London districts Mortlake and Putney is approximately 6.8 kilometers. The 400 launch sites of the annual regatta in March are regularly overbooked.

History

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

" 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 a measure for teams to rowing long distances. "

Therefore, the event will take place in the preparatory phase of the season, since the second edition in 1927, always on the third or fourth weekend in March. As distance Fairbairn chose the same section of the River Thames in London, which is where the Boat Race will be held between the universities of Oxford and Cambridge. The head- race, however, unlike the Boat Race rowing at low tide downriver.

In the first edition on December 12, 1926 was attended by 21 teams from London. In subsequent years, the event quickly grew in popularity, so that already in 1939 reported 154 rowing eight. 1937 fell out of the race, because at no time there was a suitable Tide on the Thames. 1940-1945 not found the race due to be held by the Second World War. From 1946 began another subscriber growth. Since 1979, more than 420 aft be allowed for safety reasons, since 2010, only 400 in the years 2004 and 2013 the race was canceled due to bad weather. In 2007, it was canceled due to the weather after 45 boats started after 16 boats fully struck and could not finish the race. 2014, the race was stopped after about 75 teams started for similar reasons.

The performance level of the countries participating in the Head of the River Race teams is very different. In the best teams in many national rowers rowing from the UK, also National selections from other countries regularly take part in the event. In the back of the grid, however, numerous junior and beginner teams are to be found. All British teams are divided and counted according to the classification system of their association British Rowing on the performance. 60 starting places are reserved for clubs that do not come from the UK (usually from Ireland and Europe). Constant around 30 to 40 teams will be reported for years from the German-speaking countries.

Format

At the Head of the River Race, only men are allowed to rowing, women are only allowed as helmsmen. The Women's Eights Head of the River Race ( WEHORR ) with a maximum of 320 teams, however, takes place around two weeks before the Men's Head held on the same route. The participating teams at HORR must remain pure club teams that usual in rowing race Communities of rowers of different clubs in the same boat are not admitted.

The starting order of the 400 teams depends largely on the outcome of the previous year. The achievement of the first 280 places is connected with a qualification for the following year and determined in accordance with the starting number. First notifying teams have to apply for one of the remaining 120 rear starting places by lottery.

The start of the race at the Chiswick Bridge in the Mortlake district takes place at low tide about two hours after the flood. At this time there is about the strongest current on the Thames. The strongest team from last year opened the race with a rolling start, all other teams follow flying about in every 10 seconds. For each team, this time is measured individually. For organizational reasons, some 400 teams are divided into about 8 blocks ( " divisions " ), between which a more minute break is inserted at the start.

The teams row after starting a distance of 6.8 kilometers, the goal is just above the Putney Bridge Putney district. On the curves marked by two large circuit overtaking the previously started teams are allowed. The winning time is usually 17 to 18 minutes of the course record by the British National rollercoaster in 1987 is 16:37 minutes. The achievable route times are usually heavily dependent as in rowing on the weather conditions.

Ratings

At the Head of the River Race the fastest boats of various rating categories will be honored with a trophy.

• The overall winner receives the Fairbairn Trophy. It has the form of a bust of the initiator of the Head of the River Race.
• The Vernon Trophy gets the fastest club team, the rudder area lies on the River Thames below Teddington Lock Lock, ie in the regions affected by the tides of the North Sea part of the river ( " Tideway "). The award was donated by the British rower Karl Vernon in 1954 meltdown by his collected over many years, medals and was finished to the trophy in the form of a statue of the rower Jack Beresford.
• The Page Trophy wins the fastest club team, which is resident in the territory of the River Thames or its tributaries, but not the Vernon Trophy can win. The award commemorates J. H. Page.
• The Jackson Trophy can be won by all British teams that can not get the Vernon Trophy or the Page Trophy win.
• The fastest high school team wins the Bernard Churcher Trophy.
• The Halladay Trophy wins the fastest team to a British university with more than "Intermediate 1 " status in the classification system of British Rowing.
• The fastest team that does not come from the UK, receives the Overseas Entrants Trophy.
• For the fastest lightweight team, there is a Lightweight Pennant ( " lightweight pennant " )
• The Services Pennant ( " Armed Forces Pennant " ) will be awarded to the fastest team of the armed forces of the United Kingdom.
• The fastest teams in the different classification levels of British Rowing winner will receive plaques.