The Billy Webb Challenge has a new home as the 5km race will be included in Whanganui Vintage Weekend.
The Billy Webb Challenge has a new home as the 5km race will be included in Whanganui Vintage Weekend.
After a 13 month absence, the Billy Webb Challenge has found a new home, as the prestigious 5km challenge race will be joining the Whanganui Vintage Weekend festivities on January 19.
The future of the rowing race went under review following its 10th anniversary in December 2018, with eight raceshaving been held since 2008 to commemorate the 1908 event where Christchurch's William 'Billy' Webb defended his world title on the Whanganui River in front of 25,000 spectators.
Starting as a biennial - every two years - challenge to being held annually from 2015-18, the feature race attracted many Olympic and world champions, led by five-time winner Mahe Drysdale, and included several support races for team boats.
All this came at considerable costs for the Whanganui Rowing Association and sponsors, leading to the sustainability review, with event manager Kat Wade saying in 2018 they were interested in partnering with other water sports to make a "river festival type of event", rather than continuing as a stand alone.
Setting the Sunday, January 19 date adds to a big weekend in Whanganui with the other Vintage Weekend festivities over the two days, as well as the Cooks Classic for athletics on the Saturday evening, January 18.
"After celebrating 10 years of the BWC in 2018, it was an appropriate time for the positioning of the event to be reconsidered, and the opportunity has been taken for the event to be included in Whanganui Vintage Weekend," said Wade.
"Of course, as the BWC commemorates such a historic event in Whanganui sporting history, it is a perfect fit to be part of this premier event, which is one of the biggest and best for our region."
Good crowds have watched the Billy Webb Challenge races and this should continue now the event has joined Whanganui Vintage Weekend.
The January timing does mean Drysdale and the other top New Zealand rowers won't be on the river, as they are ramping up their training schedules for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in July.
"Unfortunately, Rowing NZ Athletes are not available to attend this year's event, pretty unfortunate this time around, but we optimistically look forward hosting some new Olympic champions in 2021," said Wade.
"So this year rowers from RPC's [Rowing Performance Centres], clubs and schools have a great opportunity of winning this unique race."
The race will start at 10.30am on January 19, with the start-finish line on the Whanganui River now being moved to the front of the River Traders Markets area, away from the previous spot beside Settlers Wharf.
Prizegiving will be held on the Riverside Shindig Stage at 12.30pm.
'Mr Billy Webb' Mahe Drysdale entered all eight races and won five of them.
Whoever the first-time winner of this year's challenge will be, they will be adding their name to some elite company.
Drysdale won the first three races from 2008-2012, and then again in 2015 and 2018.
Fellow Olympic gold medallist Hamish Bond won in 2014, while another New Zealand world champion in John Storey was victorious in 2017.
Germany's Tim Ole Naske, who would go on to win World Under 23 and World Rowing Cup medals, took out the 2016 race.
