Octogenarian Marin rowing crew with Tiburon’s Kim Coggan takes on Head of the Charles
At 77, Tiburon resident Kim Coggan cannot power a racing shell the way she once did. Her crew’s stroke rate has slowed, and recovery requires more attention. But on Oct. 17 on the Charles River in Boston, Coggan and seven longtime teammates raced the course in a little more than 27 minutes, nearly three minutes faster than they had expected.
The Marin Rowing Association crew, which club members say was the first women’s eight with an average age of 80 to race the Head of the Charles Regatta, finished in 27 minutes, 6 seconds, in the regatta’s women’s veteran eights.
The crew finished last of 25 in a field made up mostly of crews in their 60s, the only boat in the 80-and-older category.
“We knew that what we had to do was recognize our strengths,” Coggan said. “We don’t have the power that younger crews do, but we can row well together.”
The women settled into a pace of about 24 or 25 strokes per minute, down from the 28 to 30 or more they might have maintained while racing in their 60s and 70s. Rather than trying to match younger competitors stroke for stroke, they concentrated on their technique and cohesion.
“We raced our own race,” Coggan said. “I’m very pleased with our finish.”
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