The Marathon Rowing Championship is a continuous

rowing Rowing is the act of propelling a human-powered watercraft using the sweeping motions of oars to displace water and generate reactional propulsion. Rowing is functionally similar to paddling, but rowing requires oars to be mechanically ...

regatta on the

Cane River Lake Cane River Lake (french: Lac de la rivière aux Cannes) is a 35 mi (56 km) oxbow lake formed from a portion of the Red River in Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana, United States. It runs throughout the Natchitoches' historic district t ...

in Natchitoches,

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

Northwestern State University Northwestern State University of Louisiana (NSU) is a public university primarily situated in Natchitoches, Louisiana, with a nursing campus in Shreveport and general campuses in Leesville/Fort Polk and Alexandria. It is a part of the Univer ...

is the official host of the regatta. The Marathon begins near the

Melrose Plantation Melrose Plantation, also known as Yucca Plantation, is a National Historic Landmark located in the unincorporated community of Melrose in Natchitoches Parish in north central Louisiana. This is one of the largest plantations in the United State ...

and ends at Front Street in Natchitoches. The regatta is open to all sculling and sweep-oar rowing boats. On the day of the Marathon, the Cane River is open only to competitors. The regatta is much longer than most head races, but shorter than the

Boston Rowing Marathon The Boston Rowing Marathon is a rowing head race taking place on the third Sunday of September annually in Lincolnshire, England, over the exceptionally long distance of 49.2 km (30.6 miles). The course is along the River Witham from Lincoln to ...

. Normally, the races with the longest distance that competitive crews enter are called

head races A head race is a time-trial competition in the sport of rowing. Head races are typically held in the fall, winter and spring seasons. These events draw many athletes as well as observers. In this form of racing, rowers race against the clock wh ...

(for example the

Head of the Charles The Head of the Charles Regatta, also known as HOCR, is a rowing head race held on the penultimate complete weekend of October (i.e., on the Friday that falls between the 16th and the 22nd of the month, and on the Saturday and Sunday immedia ...

) and are usually around long. The majority of crews do not even practice on bodies of water that allow them to row without stopping and turning around (usually due to lake size or the presence of a river

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use ...

or lock). The Marathon Rowing Championship did not take place in 2010 or 2011 due to low water during an extreme regional drought. The record time for this event is 2 hours, 31 minutes, 20 seconds set in 2008. A more typical time it takes to complete the course is 3 to 4 hours.

References

{{Northwestern State University Rowing competitions in the United States College rowing competitions in the United States Endurance games Tourist attractions in Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana Northwestern State University Annual sporting events in the United States Sports competitions in Louisiana

External links

References