Head of The River Race - History

History

The race was founded by the rowing coach Steve Fairbairn who was a great believer in the importance of distance training over the winter ("Mileage makes champions" was a favourite phrase). He devised the race while coaching at Thames Rowing Club to encourage this form of training and raise the standard of winter training among London clubs.

There followed a meeting of the Captains of the Metropolitan Clubs, where the idea was received with great enthusiasm, and it was agreed that the first race would be held on Sunday December 12, 1926. Despite the choice of day, the race went ahead with 23 entries (21 started) at a cost of 5/- per crew.

"So far the ARA were slumbering in sweet ignorance of the horrible fact that racing was taking place on a Sunday. So the Committee bravely fixed Sunday, 27th March as the date for the second race, but the publicity the event had received had drawn the attention of the ARA and at a meeting of the committee on February 19th a letter was read from the ruling body pointing out that it might be necessary to alter the date of the race as the ARA might pass a resolution banning racing on Sundays... The Head of the River Committee agreed to abandon the December race and row one annual race in March or thereabouts on Saturday afternoons."

With the future of the race agreed, the number of entrants steadily rose:

• 1927 — 41 entries, all tideway crews (except two from Jesus College, Cambridge);
• 1928 — 49 crews;
• 1929 — 60 crews;
• 1930 — 77 crews;
• 1936 — 127 crews;
• … up to 1939 — 154 crews.

There was no race in 1937 (there was no suitable tide on a Saturday and at that time organized competitive sport did not take place on Sundays) and none from 1940-45 inclusive due to the second world war. The event was restarted in 1946 (naturally starting with a smaller number of entrants - 71 crews) and has taken place annually ever since, with the exceptions of 2004 and 2007 when the race was cancelled due to bad weather, in the latter instance after most crews were on the river and 45 crews had started.

From 1979 onwards, due to the sheer volume of competitors and for reasons of safety on a relatively small area of river and riverside, the HORR Committee had at that point to impose a limit of 420 crews, which still exists today. The race is usually substantially oversubscribed.