Missing spectator sports in lockdown? Been watching endless archive footage of some Quite Good Goals from ye olde footballe games and trying to convince yourself it's working for you?
Here to scratch your competitive-sports itch: the 2020 Power2Inspire Virtual Boat Race. Sponsored by MCH.London, the Cambridgeshire-based charity's staging a virtual race this weekend — bit less Thames involved than there used to be, sure, but no less adrenaline. And no less starry a line-up, its teams peppered with every flavour of rowing celebrity going — including a World Champion, Rio Paralympic Champion and Olympic triple gold medallist.
The two teams — nominally, Oxford and Cambridge — will be made up of able-bodied, disabled, lightweight and openweight participants, with eight rowers a team.
The line-up includes World Rowing Championship gold medallist Ollie Cook, Rio Paralympic and World Rowing Championship gold medallist Grace Clough, and Olympic gold medallists Pete Reed and Tom Ransley: racing from their homes around the world.
For all but the most committed rowing enthusiasts, the annual Boat Race is traditionally a much-cherished time to drink yourself sticky with Pimm's, stand on a windy bridge behind somebody huge enough to obscure all but a sliver of river, see some boats for roughly 18 seconds, and rotate your loyalties loudly to whichever team seems to be winning at any given stage. Thanks to Power2Inspire, the lockdown version might actually be... even better? We'll race you to the Pimm's aisle...
You can watch the race from 3pm at Power2Inspire’s Give as You Live page, and donate to their University PowerHouseGames project here.