The Great Race (rowing)

The Great Race (or Harry Mahon Trophy) is an annual rowing race between the men's eight from the University of Waikato, New Zealand and a prominent university team (or teams) from outside New Zealand. The race is held over a 4.8 kilometre stretch of the Waikato River in Hamilton, New Zealand and is raced upstream. The women race for the Bryan Gould Cup.

Previously, the University of Waikato had raced the University of Auckland over the Waikato River course in an annual fixture, which was first held in 1989. Known then as the 'Gallagher Boathouse Eights', the event was organised by Waikato University Sport & Recreation Manager Bill Crome and received huge local support from the people of Hamilton. Waikato won the first encounter against Auckland with a crew that contained three former Olympic representatives, Nigel Atherfold, Greg Johnson and Chris White, with the rest of the crew consisting of Waikato Rowing Club oarsmen, Andy Mahon, Nik Posa and Richard Kirke, and Stephen Hatfield and Chris Spanninga from the Hamilton Rowing Club, and coxswain Russell Robson.

The race in its current (international) format was the creation of British politician Bryan Gould, who was a former vice-chancellor of the University of Waikato and a graduate of the University of Oxford. The winners receive the right to hold the Harry Mahon memorial trophy. Harry Mahon, who was born in New Zealand, was a highly respected rowing coach for the Cambridge rowing team and the Olympic British rowing eight. He led many crews to World Championship and Olympic Medals. Harry Mahon died of liver cancer in 2001.

The race has been organised by U Leisure from the University of Waikato and Olympic rower Rob Hamill since its conception.

The first race was held on September 1, 2002 where the University of Waikato crew led from the start and won by many boat lengths over the Cambridge University crew. For the second race, held on September 7, 2003, the Oxford crew got out to an early lead of two boat lengths by the first bridge. By half way, the Waikato crew had caught up and powered home to win the race by two boat lengths.

Since 2011, the tenth anniversary race, the format changed from the two boat competition of previous races, to a three boat competition. In 2011 the Waikato crew beat out University of Melbourne and Cambridge University, after Cambridge was forced to row without a rudder following a collision with Waikato; the race was restarted following the collision, caused by Cambridge failing to yield to the Waikato boat.

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