Metropolitan Regatta
The Metropolitan Regatta is a multi-lane regatta held at Dorney Lake, near Windsor, at the end of May or the start of June. It was founded in 1866 and is known to rowers as the Met.
The course
Dorney Lake has eight racing lanes over 2,000 metres, the international standard distance, and a separate channel for crews going to the start and warming up.
Format
Events are run as time trials or heats followed by finals. The programme covers championship, academic and club events for men and women in every boat class.
Why it matters
The Met is one of three Dorney regattas that lead to Henley, along with Wallingford and Marlow. Coaches treat it as a reliable measure of how a season is building, because the lanes are fair and the fields are deep.
History
The regatta has moved three times.
| Period | Venue | Course |
|---|---|---|
| From 1866 | The Thames at Putney | Up to Putney to Chiswick, later about a mile and three-quarters |
| From 1988 | Royal Albert Dock, east London | Seven lanes, 1,750 m |
| From 2001 | Dorney Lake | Eight lanes, 2,000 m |
It has a record of breaking with custom. In 1966 it became one of the first regattas in Britain to race on a Sunday.
Molesey Regatta was founded a year after the Met, in 1867.
Watching
Spectators can follow races along the lake path or watch from the finish area.