#7 - Run in the Henley on the Todd

The Henley is a world class rowing race held on the Henley River in England each year where teams like Harvard and Oxford race each other. It’s snooty. The Henley on the Todd is also held each year but on the Todd River in Alice Springs. The difference isn’t the prestige or the people though – it’s that the Todd River is bone dry.

Teams of six carry a boat with the hole cut out of the bottom through a sandy 50 meter course. Accidents happen. People fall. Teams tip sideways. It’s a mess.

I ran for Toddy’s Bar, a little place around the corner from where I’m staying that has been great to me the past few nights. My tour guide, Radz from the Uluru trip, hooked it up so there’s another reason to take the trip. I got free entry, a pair of sunnies, hat, shirt, and a shot at the title. Apparently our team theme was “BRO.”

Unfortunately one of the girls in our boat lost her grip just as we were crossing the finish line in first place. She fell out of the boat taking another teammate with her, so we got disqualified. C’est la vie.

Everyone from Alice got into it, and I got heaps of sand in my shoes. Good times.