Brave the waves: British Rowing Beach Sprint Championships to take place in Scotland next month
Entries for the British Rowing Beach Sprint Championships in St Andrews on 10-11 August are open now and close on Monday, 29 July 2024
The wilder cousin of classic rowing, beach sprints is a fast-paced, high-adrenaline sport where rowers battle the surf in a race that’s over in minutes.
From 10-11 August 2024, rowers from all across the country will flock to St Andrews, Scotland to take part in the annual British Rowing Beach Sprint Championships. The competition will take place in two classes of boats – solos (C1x) and doubles (C2x) – with multiple events on an ever-changing course 250m into the North Sea. These include Student solos for the first time, as well as Under 19 and Senior categories.
Beach sprint rowing has been steadily increasing in popularity, culminating in its inclusion in the Olympic programme for the Los Angeles Games in 2028. The sport is also in the programme for the 2026 Youth Olympics to be held in Dakar, Senegal. The format is multidisciplinary: rowers run a short distance to the shore, navigate a slalom course of buoys before rowing back through the waves, aiming to hit the beach in the right place for their final sprint to the buzzer ahead of their competition.
After an initial time trial, beach sprints are knockout, one-on-one races – with quarter finals, semi finals and an A and B Final to determine the final medal positions happening in quick succession. A bad turn or a rogue wave could end your quest for gold, and the combination of skill and strength required in tough conditions means that it’s not always the best, or strongest rower who has the advantage.
This is the first time the British Rowing Beach Sprint Championships will be held as a standalone event. In past years the competition has been run alongside the national Offshore Championships.
Sarah Gregory, Chair of the Organising Committee, said, “We’re thrilled to be bringing the British Rowing Beach Sprint Championships to Scotland, a country with such a strong background in the discipline. The standard of beach sprint rowing is growing year-on-year in the UK and we can’t wait to see which clubs will come up on top in 2024.”
What are beach sprints?
The beach sprint format is ideal for agile and skilled rowers with a performance background, from either coastal or river rowing.
It starts with a run on the beach for one person from each crew. After entering the boat, the boat slaloms around buoys, turns around at 250m and rows straight back to the beach before one of the crew exits the boat and sprints to the finish line.
About St Andrews
St Andrews beach is famous as the location for the opening scenes of the film Chariots of Fire. The beach extends for almost two miles of uninterrupted golden sand, backed with dunes and the world-renowned golf course.
The University of St Andrews has long been involved in the coastal rowing scene, consistently sending athletes to competitions all around the UK and further afield. They host a GB Coastal Sculling Academy, which identifies and develops new and existing coastal or river rowers with the potential for future international representation for Home Nations or GB teams.
Further information
Visit the British Rowing Beach Sprint Championships hub for more information and to enter:
