Weekend Wrap: 55th Head of the Trent Runs from Peterborough
The annual Head of the Trent Regatta took place on Saturday and Sunday from its home on the Trent-Severn Waterway in Peterborough, ON.
Hosted by the Peterborough Rowing Club, this year’s HOTT was the 55th edition of the regatta, which was first run in 1971. Always one of the highlight events on the Ontario rowing calendar, the two-days of competition saw a jam-packed schedule which featured a mix of university, club and alumni races in a wide variety of boat categories in front of an enthusiastic crowd. A total of 61 clubs participated in the regatta which had 813 total entries.
The university competition was run on Saturday with both current students and alumni categories contested. The Western Mustangs had the most entries among universities with 33, followed by the Brock Badgers with 29. The two schools also won the most gold medals, with Brock topping the leaderboard with nine, followed by Western with seven. Next on the gold medal tally was the Queen’s Gaels (5), followed by McMaster University (3), McGill University (3), University of Guelph (2), Trent University (2), RMC (1), and Nipissing University (1).
In club action, which took place on Sunday, the participants raced in a mixture of youth, masters, junior, and open categories. A total of 12 clubs and programs for Ontario reached the top of the podium with Niagara Community Rowing earning the most gold medals with six. Next was the St. Catharines Rowing Club and Ottawa Rowing Club with four, the Argonaut Rowing Club, Leander Boat Club, Don Rowing Club, and Ridley College with two, and the Ridley Graduate Boat Club, Peterborough Rowing Club, London Western Rowing Club, Hanlan Boat Club, and Cambridge Rowing Club with one apiece.
In addition to all the clubs and programs from Ontario, the 2026 HOTT saw athletes from the United States, Czechia, and Quebec compete.
For full results from the Head of the Trent, visit RegattaCentral.
For the full regatta schedule in Ontario, visit the Row Ontario website.
Photo is property of Havergal Rowing.
