About the Great Race
The Gallagher Great Race Festival is a rowing regatta on a 4.2km upstream course on the Waikato River through central Hamilton. It starts at Ann Street with the finish line at the Ferry Bank (Grantham St). The feature races of the festival sees the two premier University of Waikato crews (men & women) challenging International competition. The penultimate race of the festival has the two women's crews racing for the Bryan Gould Cup and then culminating in the actual "Great Race" between the two men's crews who race for the coveted Harry Mahon Trophy.
Racing Crews
The race takes place between the University of Waikato Senior Men's 8 crew and an international University crew (previously Cambridge, Oxford, Harvard and Washington Universities) who are invited to NZ to compete. This internationally recognised race attracts world class crews and is supported wholeheartedly by Rowing NZ.
The Visiting Great Race Crew
The visiting crew arrives two weeks prior to the race and visit attractions and places of interest throughout North Island. The team use the world class rowing facilities at Lake Karapiro.
The event has an extremely high profile in the Hamilton community and as such the visiting crews attract a lot of media attention and media interviews. Sponsors dinners and press conferences are organized during their stay.
Race Details
The Great Race is held on a 4.2km "against the flow" course through central Hamilton, on New Zealand's largest river - the mighty Waikato. Waikato means "flowing water" and the 425km long Waikato River, begins life in the snows and ice fields of Tongariro National Park. Before entering Lake Taupo it is known as the Tongariro River for part of its length. On leaving Lake Taupo it flows in a well-defined bed through steep uplands before reaching the flat plains of the middle Waikato basin or Hamilton lowlands. After passing through the Taupiri Gorge it reaches the flat country of the lower Waikato and finally enters the Tasman Sea south of Auckland at Port Waikato.
With the assistance of Mighty River Power, the Great Race is held on a river flow of 12.5-13.5m. The course, which begins at Ann St Reserve and finishes at Ferry Bank Park, has four significant bends in the river. The effect of a bends is to alter the course of the river current from one side of the river to the other. As it is very difficult to row into a current, the racing crews are constantly trying to find the "slack water" and are often changing course in order to do so.
Tactics play a critical role in this race, as race rules indicate "right of way" situations when boats are overlapping each other. For a full set of rules click here.
Race History
Harry Mahon, one of the most influential coaches of the 1980s in NZ and internationally, is remembered in Gallagher Great Race with the University of Waikato Men's crew competing against international competition for the Harry Mahon Trophy.
The Women's crew compete for the Bryan Gould Cup. This cup is named after the previous Vice Chancellor of the University of Waikato from 1994 - 2004, who played a major role in developing the Great Race Festival.
Previous Crews & Victories
(w = winner)
MEN
| 2008 University of Waikato vs Cambridge University (UK) (w) |
| 2007 University of Waikato (w) vs Harvard University (USA) |
| 2006 University of Waikato (w) vs University of Cambridge (UK) |
| 2005 University of Waikato (w) vs University of Washington (USA) |
| 2004 University of Waikato vs University of Cambridge (UK) (w) |
| 2003 University of Waikato (w) vs University of Oxford (UK) |
| 2002 University of Waikato (w) vs University of Cambridge (UK) |
WOMEN
| 2008 University of Waikato (w) vs University of Sydney (AUS) |
| 2007 University of Waikato (w) vs University of Melbourne (AUS) |
| 2006 University of Waikato vs University of Melbourne (AUS) (w) |
| 2005 University of Waikato (w) vs Australian National Crew |
| 2004 University of Waikato (w) vs University of Melbourne (AUS) |