Our Patch APRIL 2016
THE
BOAT
RACES
BOAT RACE FACTS
• It takes about 600 strokes
to complete the course.
• Each crew member
trains for about two
hours for each stroke.
• The boats weigh 96kg
and are 19.9m long.
• The current course
record is 16mins
19secs, set by
Cambridge in 1998.
• There have been six
sinkings in the race’s
history.
•S
ue Brown became the
first female competitor
in 1981, as Oxford cox.
•C
ambridge’s Thorsten
Engelmann was the
heaviest oarsman ever
in 2007, weighing
17stone 6lbs.
Oxford pass under
Hammersmith Bridge
as they win last year's race
PICTURE: ACTION IMAGES
I
f you think the annual university
boat races simply involve two
sweaty crews puffing and panting
down the river, think again!
This year there are no fewer than
four boat races (including the big
event) to add even more value to one of
the truly traditional sporting days out
in the capital.
As usual, the council has organised
4/5
free outdoor riverside events in parks
in Hammersmith and Fulham to add to
the fun at key vantage