Rowers race at Nathan Benderson Park. Provided photo.

Rowing has become as synonymous with Nathan Benderson Park as trick or treating is to Halloween or apple pie is to America—it’s just a part of the park’s identity. This weekend, Nathan Benderson Park, in partnership with Visit Sarasota and Sarasota Crew, is hosting the Benderson Chase, a two-day regatta and rowing festival that will bring over 800 athletes and 1,500 spectators to Sarasota.

Like many fall races in the world of crew, the Benderson Chase is a head race, meaning that instead of boats starting side by side and racing to the finish line, boats have a staggered start and race against the clock. In doing so, the course is much longer than a traditional championship regatta—4,500 meters compared to 2,000 meters—and will take rowers around the entirety of the lake at Nathan Benderson Park.

“A lot of times these fall races will occur on a long, straight stretch and are quite honestly, boring to row and not as fun for the spectator,” says Rick Brown, Director of Operations and Development at Sarasota Crew. “The nice thing about our course is that spectators can literally follow the entire race on a bike, plus the turns add a bit of complexity for the rowers. We even have one section where the rowers get to choose an inside lane that's slightly shorter, but a little bit harder of a turn to make than the outside lane.”

The Benderson Chase, which will also include an Oktoberfest event on October 11, will feature boats of all sizes from single person boats to doubles, quads and eights. In a head race such as the Chase, strategy becomes an element of the competition—not only do rowers need to pace themselves accordingly for the increased distance, but the turns of the course require the ability to adjust on the spot. “The tricky thing is that you don’t know whether you’ll pass anybody or if somebody will be catching you or where that will happen on the race course. You just have to plan your race and then have the ability to know that different situations will arise at different times,” says Brown. “On a course like this, you might have to go lighter in a spot where it’s not advantageous to pass a boat and then be strategic on exactly when you make that push to try and pass that boat, which is fun.”

October 11-12, Nathan Benderson Park, 5851 Nathan Benderson Circle, Sarasota, 34235

Rowers race at Nathan Benderson Park. Provided photo.

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