Participation

• For each leg, the masters undertake a Paddy’s Run in their single.
• The run is a time trial that starts at the Old Chestnut tree by the entrance to the River Yare New Cut.
• Runs are usually on the last Sunday of each winter month. Starting with the currently slowest first at around 07:50.
• Scullers paddle downriver to Paddy’s Pump (a land mark used as a customary turning point for winter training outings).
• They turn at Paddy’s and come back to finish at the Chestnut Tree. That’s total distance of 14.4 km, taking them approximately 65 to 85 minutes to complete.
• Timers at the tree take all start and finish times.
• The raw times are adjusted for masters age and gender.
• Adjusted times are aggregated for positions on The Ladder.
• A penalty time is awarded for a sculler not turning up or (rarely) not completing the run.
• Participants have their slowest run time deducted from the aggregate (so scullers can afford to clock up one penalty time and still be in contention for a good place!).
• This is not a race, but intensive distance training that tests endurance, watermanship and mental strength, and offers a competitive atmosphere to motivate the Masters in the long winter months.
• To make it more fun, the following medals are awarded at the end of winter: men’s fastest; women’s fastest; Fastest Newcomer (first winter of participation only) and Meynell Medal (for the oldest sculler by date of birth to have completed ALL legs of the Ladder).