A Little History

The Head of the Charles regatta is rooted in the desire to break up the monotony of fall training. The intercollegiate rowing season takes place primarily in the spring with 2000 meter sprint competitions. But rowing programs begin their training in the late summer, focusing on building an athletic base. Waiting for the spring, crews row on the water and indoors on ergometers; they run and weight train.

In 1965, Cambridge Boat Club members D'Arcy MacMahon, Howard McIntyre and Jack Vincent, along with Harvard University sculling instructor Ernest Arlett organized a fall race to complement their training. Hailing from England, Arlett proposed a "head of the river" race, similar in format to races taking place across the Atlantic.

The race grew from an informal competition, dominated largely by local schools such as Harvard and Northeastern, to include competitors from across the nation and eventually, across the globe.

Head style racing is typically held over a three-mile course, where boats are given staggered starts and race against the clock. Boats are allowed to pass one another, and in fact, rowers are required to yield to faster boats behind them.

This year is the 35th running of the Head of the Charles, and will include about 6,500 athletes in 20 different events. About 300,000 spectators are expected.

-Zachary R. Heineman