The Great River Race is an annual competition held on the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, se ...

for any traditional-style coxed boat propelled by

oar An oar is an implement used for water-borne propulsion. Oars have a flat blade at one end. Rowers grasp the oar at the other end. The difference between oars and paddles is that oars are used exclusively for rowing. In rowing the oar is connecte ...

s or

paddle A paddle is a handheld tool with an elongated handle and a flat, widened distal end (i.e. the ''blade''), used as a lever to apply force onto the bladed end. It most commonly describes a completely handheld tool used to propel a human-powered wa ...

s. The date of the race for 2022 has been set for the 10th September The competition was started in 1988 and covers a 21-mile (34 km) course on the tidal Thames between

Ham, London Ham is a suburban district in Richmond, south-west London. It has meadows adjoining the River Thames where the Thames Path National Trail also runs. Most of Ham is in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames and, chiefly, within the ward of ...

and

Greenwich Greenwich ( , ,) is a town in south-east London, England, within the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is situated east-southeast of Charing Cross. Greenwich is notable for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich ...

. It is usually held on a Saturday in September. Since 2009 the race has been run in the opposite direction, i.e. upstream with the tide from Greenwich to Ham. This appears to be the preferred arrangement for the organisers and the competitors alike. The rules stipulate that boats must be moved by oars or paddles and have a cox and a passenger (although both cox and passenger may alternate with rowers during the race). Up to 300 boats take part including Gigs,

Skiffs A skiff is any of a variety of essentially unrelated styles of small boats. Traditionally, these are coastal craft or river craft used for leisure, as a utility craft, and for fishing, and have a one-person or small crew. Sailing skiffs have devel ...

, Celtic Longboats, Cutters,

Currach A currach ( ) is a type of Irish boat with a wooden frame, over which animal skins or hides were once stretched, though now canvas is more usual. It is sometimes anglicised as "curragh". The construction and design of the currach are unique ...

Dragon Boat A dragon boat is a human-powered watercraft originating from the Pearl River Delta region of China's southern Guangdong Province. These were made of teak, but in other parts of China, different kinds of wood are used. It is one of a family of t ...

Whaleboat A whaleboat is a type of open boat that was used for catching whales, or a boat of similar design that retained the name when used for a different purpose. Some whaleboats were used from whaling ships. Other whaleboats would operate from the sh ...

s and an assortment of novelty craft. Boats are handicapped by class to provide an overall competition as well as competitions by class. As handicapping is on a slowest-away first basis, this makes for a lively race. The race attracts serious racers as well as leisure rowers, making it a water-based equivalent of the

London Marathon The London Marathon is an annual marathon held in London, United Kingdom, and is the 2nd largest annual road race in the UK, after the Great North Run in Newcastle. Founded by athletes Chris Brasher and John Disley in 1981, it is typically held ...

, and an interesting and colourful spectacle for the many who come to watch from the bridges and river banks. Every boat is required to carry a flag, and the prizes include one for

fancy dress A costume party (American English) or fancy dress party (other varieties of English) is a type of party, common in contemporary Western culture, in which many of the guests are dressed in costume, usually depicting a fictional or stock chara ...

. The race is dependent on the tide and was originally rowed downstream on the outgoing tide. In 2009, the Great River Race was for the first time rowed upstream on an incoming tide. Competitors rowed from Docklands Sailing Club at Millwall upstream to Ham Landing near

Ham House Ham House is a 17th-century house set in formal gardens on the bank of the River Thames in Ham, south of Richmond in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. The original house was completed in 1610 by Thomas Vavasour, an Elizabethan cou ...

. The 2010 race took place on Saturday 25 September, was again run upstream and featured a challenge by a crew from ITN London News issued to their counterparts in

BBC London News ''BBC London News'' (referred to onscreen as ''BBC London'') is the BBC's regional television news programme for Greater London and its surrounding areas. Its local competitor is ''ITV News London'', which is produced by ITN for ITV London. ' ...

. The ITN crew took part in a C8 Canadian canoe while the BBC team rowed a Thames Watermen's Cutter. On Saturday 15 September 2012, ''

Gloriana ''Gloriana'', Op. 53, is an opera in three acts by Benjamin Britten to an English libretto by William Plomer, based on Lytton Strachey's 1928 ''Elizabeth and Essex: A Tragic History''. The first performance was presented at the Royal Opera Hous ...

'' (specially commissioned for the

Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant The Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant was a parade on 3 June 2012 of 670 boats on the Tideway of the River Thames in London as part of the celebrations of the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II. The Queen, Prince Philip and other members of th ...

) was the leading boat of the oar-race on the final stretch from

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...

to the finishing point at Ham.

2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

gold medallist

Sophie Hosking Sophie Hannah Marguerite Hosking MBE (born 25 January 1986) is a retired British rower. Personal life Hosking was born in 1986. The lightweight rower David Hosking is her father. She attended Kingston Grammar School in London, before completi ...

and silver medallist Rob Williams were aboard the ''Gloriana''. It was also rowed by youngsters supported by the Rowing Foundation, the Race's official charity. It passed under Richmond Bridge before mooring up opposite the finish, below Ham House, in time to greet the winner of the 25th edition of the race.

References

External links

Great River Race web site
{{Commons category inline, Great River Race Ham, London Sport on the River Thames Regattas on the River Thames Recurring sporting events established in 1988