Great Ouse Marathon 2026
- Alex Mitchell
- 10 minutes ago
- 2 min read
Battling the Breeze at the Great Ouse Marathon! 🚣‍♂️💨
The autumn head racing season kicked off in true endurance style last weekend as a brave Monmouth RC contingent headed east for the Great Ouse Marathon, hosted by Isle of Ely Rowing Club and West Norfolk Rowing Club.
Stretching an epic 22 kilometres, this event is always a test of grit, stamina, and steering! The course gave us sunny and dry skies, but it certainly didn't hand out free speed—the crews had to contend with a bracing headwind for the entire 22k distance.
Here’s how our Monmouth crews got on across the marathon course:
🚣‍♀️ Mx MasD 4x-
Time: 1:51:34 | Finish: 19th overall out of 106 boats!
Talk about a last-minute shakeup! When Abbie was unfortunately unable to race, James A stepped up to the plate to sub in at short notice. With only two practice outings as a newly assembled crew, the quad—featuring Fliss, Jo, James A, and Rachel—put on a commanding performance.
They charged through the headwind to clock an impressive 1h 51m 34s, breaking into the top 20 overall in a massive field of 106 boats!
🏆 W MasE 2x Band 2
Time: 2:10:55 | Result: 1st in Category! 🥇
A huge congratulations to Louise A & MJ, who were taking on their very first sculling race together as a combination! They paced their race brilliantly through the wind, crossing the finish line in 2h 10m 55s and bringing home a well-deserved category win in WMasE 2x!
🌾 WMas E1x
Time: 2:31:11
Racing 22k in a single is a monumental feat on any day, but Maggie showed tremendous determination out on the water. Despite a brief, unexpected encounter with the local flora (a friendly visit to the riverbank reeds!), she untangled herself, valiantly battled on, and completed the course in 2h 31m 11s. Pure grit! 🙌
🙏 Shoutouts & Thanks
A huge effort like this doesn't happen without a great team behind it. A massive thanks to:
James for doing the heavy lifting with trailer towing duty.
Isle of Ely Rowing Club and West Norfolk Rowing Club for organizing and hosting a fantastic event.
Coaches Roan & Tim for all their guidance, training prep, and support leading up to race day.
Fantastic backup support from Rob N, Alan and Luna the dog.
Well done to everyone who raced—what a fantastic start to the long-distance season! 💪🚣‍♂️
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