Rowing club saddened to cancel marathon

Boston Rowing Club have held the annual Boston Rowing Marathon on the River Witham, spanning 49.2 km (30.6 miles) from Boston to Lincoln, since 1946 when it was first held as a private event, and then opened to the public in 1950 and continues to this day.

The event is usually held on the third Sunday of September each year. The long distance of the event makes it unique in British rowing and attracts many entries from around the world, with entries from all categories of rowing and sculling.

​But due to rising Covid-19 infections, the organisers took the decision to cancel the 2021 Boston Rowing Marathon to prioritise the safety of the rowers and spectators.

Adrian Apletree, Secretary of the Boston Rowing Club, said: "We always want to hold the very best event and our concerns are there are several issues that could impact us at the last moment. As a wholly volunteer event we, like all events, need to operate on lots of goodwill. For both these reasons, we felt that it was too much of a risk.

"I am sure that we will get to September and wonder what we were worried about, but the commitment of creating an event is significant.

"Hopefully everything will be more assured for our Boston Head of the River in January and we will pull the stops out for the 2022 Marathon."

The Boston Head of the River is held on the third Sunday of each January, and is scheduled to take place on January 19 with a 5k division and a 3k division on the same stretch of water as the GB squad trials. ​

Entries for the Boston Head of the River are by British Rowing's Online Entry system here.

You can find out more about Boston Rowing Club and the Rowing Marathon here.