About 300 traditional boats will race the length of the Thames past Putney on Saturday 12 September, now full to capacity.
The Great River Race, known as London’s river marathon, runs 21.6 miles from Millwall in Docklands to Ham in Richmond, passing under 28 bridges including Putney Bridge. The Great River Race Trust has confirmed that all places for 2026 have been taken, with a waiting list open for crews hoping to join if others withdraw.
Only fixed-seat boats compete, no modern sliding-seat racing shells. Watermen’s cutters, Cornish pilot gigs, Celtic longboats, dragon boats and other traditional craft make up the fleet, each carrying a cox and a passenger under race rules. The event has grown from 61 boats when it started in 1988 to around 300 crews, some travelling from as far as America and Australia.
When it reaches Putney
The race starts at Millwall at 12.45pm, with the slowest boats sent off first and the fastest following roughly an hour later. That staggers the fleet along the river as it heads west. Going by the organiser’s published timings, the leading boats should reach Putney Bridge around 100 minutes after the start, close to 2.25pm, with the rest of the fleet still coming through well after that. The fastest crews pass Wandsworth Bridge a little earlier, around 2.15pm, and Hammersmith Bridge later, around 3pm.
Putney Bridge is one of the official viewing points along the route. Both banks of the Embankment give a clear view of the boats passing. It will be quite a sight.
Getting there
The Port of London Authority will close the river to ordinary traffic for the length of the course while the race is under way; last year’s notice covered the stretch from Greenwich Reach to Cross Deep, which includes Putney. The authority had not published its 2026 notice at the time of writing, so exact closure times are not yet confirmed.
We will carry results and colour from along the route after the race.
