Cambridge Hosts Rowing's Finest for Head Of The Charles Regatta

Pictured: The bridges and banks of the Charles River will be lined with some 300,000 spectators over the weekend.

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CAMBRIDGE, Mass.—The rowing world makes its annual pilgrimage to Harvard's doorstep this weekend, as the Radcliffe and Harvard lightweight and heavyweight crews compete in the 46th Head Of The Charles Regatta, the world's largest two-day rowing event.

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Live results and live video are available at the links above.

About the Regatta
More than 9,000 athletes are scheduled to compete as part of 1,920 entries in this year's 60 HOCR events. Those competitors will range from ages 13 to 83 and represent 36 states and 21 countries as they travel the three-mile, upstream course from the Boston University Boathouse to Artesani Park in Brighton.

The boats will cross under seven bridges on their way. The penultimate span is the Lars Anderson bridge, which connects Boston and Cambridge between Harvard's Weld and Newell Boathouses. Approximately 300,000 spectators and 1,400 volunteers are expected to be on hand to take in all the action.

History
The HOCR was first held on Oct. 16, 1965. The race was established by Cambridge Boat Club members D'Arcy MacMahon, Howard McIntyre and Jack Vincent, with the advice of Harvard sculling instructor Ernest Arlett. Arlett proposed that a "head-of-the-river" race similar in tradition to races held in his native England, be held on the Charles River. "Head" races, a class of regattas, are generally three miles long. Boats race against each other and the clock, starting sequentially approximately fifteen seconds apart. Winners of each race receive the honorary title of "Head of the River" or, in this case, "Head Of The Charles."

The first HOCR featured nearly 100 competitors, all in singles, and has grown consistently since. The 2010 edition features 36 more entries than last year and one more event than in 2009, the legs/trunk/arms mixed four with coxswain pitting three crews whose members have permanent disabilities.

Harvard/Radcliffe at the 2010 HOCR
 Current and former Harvard and Radcliffe athletes and coaches will compete as part of at least 22 different entries in this year's regatta.  

Saturday
9:11 a.m. – Women's senior-master singles: Cambridge Boat Club (Ellen Kennelly '85), bow No. 2
9:44 a.m. – Women's senior-master eights: Radcliffe Association of Rowing Alumnae, bow No. 19
9:44 a.m. – Women's senior-master eights: Etats Unis (Liz O'Leary), bow No. 1
11:27 a.m. – Women's alumni eights: Radcliffe Association of Rowing Alumnae, bow No. 6
12:19 p.m. – Men's club fours: Harvard heavyweight crew, bow No. 11
1:14 p.m. – Men's club eights: Harvard heavyweight crew A, bow No. 3
1:14 p.m. – Men's club eights: Harvard heavyweight crew B, bow No. 5
1:14 p.m. – Men's club eights: Harvard lightweight crew, bow No. 10
1:30 p.m. – Women's club eights: Radcliffe heavyweight crew, bow No. 7

Sunday
2:33 p.m. – Men's championship fours: Harvard heavyweight crew A, bow No. 2
2:33 p.m. – Men's championship fours: Harvard heavyweight crew B, bow No. 7
2:40 p.m. – Women's championship fours: Radcliffe heavyweight crew, bow No. 18
2:55 p.m. – Men's championship eights: Harvard heavyweight crew A, bow No. 15
2:55 p.m. – Men's championship eights: Harvard heavyweight crew B, bow No. 17
3:09 p.m. – Women's championship eights: Radcliffe heavyweight crew A, bow No. 8
3:09 p.m. – Women's championship eights: Radcliffe heavyweight crew B, bow No. 13
3:38 p.m. – Men's lightweight fours: Harvard lightweight crew, now No. 11
4:02 p.m. – Men's lightweight eights: Harvard lightweight crew A, bow No. 4
4:02 p.m. – Men's lightweight eights: Harvard lightweight crew B, bow No. 18
4:02 p.m. – Men's lightweight eights: Harvard lightweight crew C, bow No. 21
4:11 p.m. – Women's lightweight eights: Radcliffe lightweight crew A, bow No. 4
4:11 p.m. – Women's lightweight eights: Radcliffe lightweight crew B, bow No. 9

30th Anniversary
One notable addition to the usual Harvard/Radcliffe HOCR lineup is Black and White heavyweight head coach Liz O'Leary rowing in the three seat of the Etats Unis Rowing Club boat in the women's senior-master eights event. Both O'Leary's boat and the 1980 Rowing Club entry are made up of athletes named to the 1980 U.S. Olympic team but unable to compete in Moscow due to the U.S. boycott of the Games.

Last Season
The Harvard heavyweights placed 18th in last season's championship eights event, while the Crimson finished 10th in the lightweight championship eights. Four other Crimson boats earned top-10 finishes, in the championship fours (third and eighth) and club eights (fourth and seventh). Click here for a full recap.

On the women's side, the Black and White lightweight varsity eight earned a fifth-place finish in the lightweight women's eights event, while the Radcliffe heavyweight varsity took 13th of 32 entries in the championship women's eights. Radcliffe lightweight coaching assistant Carrie Morelock '07 won the club singles event , finishing more than 13 seconds ahead of her nearest competitor. Click here for a full recap.