Three generations – one oar-some marathon!

Henley Rotary Club member Peter Thomson marked his 80th birthday with a marathon challenge on the River Thames last Sunday rowing 26 miles from Benson to Henley with his daughter Sarah and granddaughter Eva.

The three generations of rowers aptly named ‘Three Gen in a Boat’ completed the journey in just under eight hours, passing through 10 locks along the way in a boat borrowed from Phyllis Court Club, where Peter rows and coaches.

The idea for the challenge had its roots in another milestone birthday.  Peter explained, “I ran a half marathon run when I was 40. I thought I couldn’t run a full marathon, but I could probably row one. We live in Benson and Marsh Lock is exactly 26 miles to Marsh Lock.”

He originally planned to have four people involved, with three in the boat at any one time and one person resting. In the end, Peter, Sarah and 18-year-old Eva took on the challenge together.

Sarah said she did not need much persuading to take part. She said “It didn’t take much convincing. I think Dad kind of said it in such a confident way I didn’t really question it. My main worry was, was he going to be OK doing it. He was insistent that he wanted to do a third of the distance. I was excited to join in and help him achieve what he wanted to achieve.”

Convincing Eva was even easier, according to Sarah. “Eva was easily convinced. She said what was the problem? She didn’t realise how long the day was going to be though.”

There was little time for the trio to practise together before the big day.  Peter commented, “We had a very short practice 15 mins just to check that we could all get in the boat and it was adjusted for us.  Then we completed a little circuit on the river,” Sarah added, “Once we started, we were conscious of the timings of each other and took it slow and steady.”

Peter, who has rowed all his life after starting at school, stepped up his training in the month before the challenge. “I rowed twice a week on the river and then I did extra on the rowing machine at home over the last month which I think did pay off.”

A support boat, crewed by Dain Jenson, played a crucial role both before and throughout the challenge.  On the way towing the boat to Benson from Henley, the boat had to be abandoned overnight at Whitchurch Lock as the lock was broken and they had to wait for the repair to be completed.

The crew set off from Benson at 8.30am and reached Henley at around 5.20pm. Although the 26-mile route was downstream, the low river levels caused by the drought meant they could not rely on the usual current to help them along.

Swapping over in the boat was tricky and originally, they thought they would do this at the locks.  However, Sarah explained, “The challenge was that the layby at the lock was much higher and the support boat had to help lift us out of the boat. We thought afterwards that if we are going to do that manoeuvre each time, we would probably hurt ourselves. Afterwards we just climbed over in the boat and when we were passing floating pontoons like at Reading Rowing Club, Blue Coats School and Shiplake College we utilised these.”

Toilet breaks were another challenge that the crew faced as there were not many public toilets at locks.  Sarah said, “It was handy though that Eva is a member of Reading Rowing Club had a key to the toilets, so we stopped off there.”  Keeping hydrated was another challenge however the overcast weather meant they did not have to contend with intense heat of previous weeks.

After sitting in the boat for almost eight hours, however, standing up again felt rather strange.  Peter said, “Standing up was weird as we had sat down on all day for 8 hours.  The cox’s seat was not the most comfortable, so we borrowed a cushion off the support boat to put on the plastic seat.”

Peter didn’t feel much effect from the long day in the boat and because he rows regularly, he didn’t have any blisters and was back rowing on the water on Tuesday.  Sarah, who has previously rowed at Shiplake Vikings, suffered a couple of blisters and felt a little achy afterwards.

Along the marathon route, family, friends and fellow rowers came out to offer their support.  Sarah said, “Towards the end we all knew we were going to make it. Most of the locks we had supporters come to see us and the bridge at Pangbourne. That was nice and gave us a boost. The support boat was amazing in all that they did including getting the boat to Benson to start with.”

For Peter, one of the most memorable moments came as they approached familiar waters. Peter said, “Getting through the last lock and into Henley, rowing under the bridge, felt like coming home. Then, at The Angel everyone was applauding on the terrace, someone put a pint in my hand, and I suddenly burst into tears when I realised I’d done it – all in one piece. It was a lovely thing to do with the family.”

Sarah added “Reaching The Angel brought a real sense of achievement, along with a well-earned glass of cider and a big cheer from those waiting on the terrace.”

There was also a welcome committee of rowers waiting for them when they reached Henley at Phyllis Court Club however the support boat left Peter at The Angel and took the boat back without him.  Peter said, “It was like inviting everyone to a birthday party and not turning up!  I apologised to them later which I think they understood.”

The challenge has raised more than £3,000 for Henley Rotary Club-supported causes like ShelterBox, Camp Mohawk, NOMAD and the Regatta for the Disabled.  Peter said, “I’m delighted about that, we originally target £100 per mile so £2700, and we went through that the day after.”

Looking back, Peter believes his 80th birthday challenge was easier than the running challenge he took on 40 years ago.  He said, “It was harder to run for the half marathon for my 40th as had never run before. Sitting down is much easier, and rowing is a low impact sport.”

While he may have completed a marathon to mark turning 80, Peter is not ruling out another challenge.  He said he would consider another rowing-based adventure and is also looking forward to taking part in touring regattas for recreational rowers.

You can still donate to Peter’s challenge here: https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/3genrow?utm_medium=CA&utm_source=WA