RRA 25K Hudson River Challenge
- Sep 10, 2011
- open water
- Hudson River, from G. Washington to Tappan Zee Bridges
- Nyack, NY (USA)
- Hosted By: Rockland Rowing Association, Inc.
History
The first 25K Hudson River Challenge was held to commemorate the 400thanniversary of Henry Hudson’s voyage of discovery in 1609. Since 2009, the 25K race between the George Washington and the Tappan Zee Bridges is an annual challenge open to all experienced rowers and paddlers in human-powered boats.
The Hudson River is known for its unpredictable water conditions and its strong tidal currents, but it is the beauty of the Palisades that will most surprise you, as you follow the western shore along the foot of its towering jurassic cliffs.
This is a marathon of a race. The course record is 1 hour and 58 minutes, with plenty of boats coming in around 3 hours.Race Course
The launch and starting area is the Englewood Boat Basin, at the Palisades Interstate Park in Englewood, NJ, which lies just north of the George Washington Bridge. Boats will start from the Englewood Boat Basin, follow the western shore of the River, and finish north of the Tappan Zee Bridge, near the Nyack Municipal Dock in Nyack, NY.
This is a 25-kilometer (15.53 mile) course, which although not technically “open water,” can, depending on the wind, the tide and its currents, resemble such conditions. For the morning of September 10, 2011, tide and current charts predict that racers will be riding the flood tide and current northward from the Englewood starting line at 7:30 a.m., with no opposing ebb current predicted to occur in the Tarrytown/Nyack portion of the River until late morning.