Sporting events in London like the Head of the River Race are quite popular with both residents and visitors. Football, rugby and tennis are a few of the sports that come to mind when one thinks of events, but how about rowing?

Rowing is actually quite a popular sport in London, both for participants and spectators due to the long history of the River Thames being used for such activities.

The River Race was founded in 1926 by the legendary rowing coach Steve Fairbairn primarily as a means to raise the standard of winter training amongst the London rowing teams. Fairbairn was the coach of the Thames Rowing Club at the time, and although the very first race was held on a Sunday in December, subsequent races have always been on Saturdays in March.

The course runs from Mortlake to Putney, and is a 4.25 mile row. It is held each year, weather permitting. The race is open to men's eights, and draws competitive teams from all over the world. The record time of 16 minutes, 37 seconds was set by the Great Britain National Squad in 1989.

In 1926, there were 23 entries for the race; with more teams signing up each year, and concerns over safety rising, a limit of 420 entries was set in 1979 and has continued to hold.

Crews start off at 10 second intervals to limit the number of boats on the water at any one time.

It is quite a popular Spring activity for spectators to sit on the banks of the Thames and cheer on the teams. Many people bring a picnic or other refreshments and spend the afternoon enjoying the sight of crews skimming along the surface of the river in the March sunlight.

Sporting events in London like the race are a much beloved tradition for many city residents as well as for visitors from all over the world.

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