When Bostonian D’Arcy MacMahon and his friends founded the Head Of The Charles River Regatta (HOCR) in 1965, Charles Attager was an integral part of their team.
Attager’s role was to address awkward questions. As such, he was left with many messages to answer because he was always somewhere about but never to be found.
Over the years, MacMahon’s event has become so enormous and well-established that it is now the world’s largest two-day rowing head race. Typically 10% of entries come from internationally competitive athletes. This year’s HOCR, scheduled for 22/23 October, has 63 rowers on the final draw who competed at the Rio Olympics, including 32 medal winners (4 bronze, 15 silver and 13 gold).
In all 10,602 athletes have entered to race the 2016 HOCR in 2,257 boats. Entries this year have been accepted from 817 clubs covering 39 states across the US and 28 countries worldwide. Yet, incredibly, this huge, world-class event still provides race opportunities for all rowers, with a particularly strong number of entries from Boston’s own local community.
For Race Director Bob Mannino, one legacy of HOCR is the opportunity for local or regionally competitive athletes to race some events with international opposition.
“There isn’t a place in many sports where you can have that kind of experience. I once had an unforgettable race in the championship double event against past Olympians. Cheering spectators, who line both banks of the Charles, always ensure a fantastic atmosphere”.