Great River Race, London

Regarded as the rowing equivalent of the London Marathon, the Great River Race is bursting with colour, spectacle, intense competition and casual fun. Due to tides, the 2013 race will be run upstream for the sixth successive year, starting at Millwall Slipway in London's Docklands and finishing with a spectacular riverside party at Ham. The extensive 21-mile course takes crews from the industrial cityscape of Docklands all the way along the Thames to the idyllic semi-rural Richmond shores. Since launching in 1987, entries have snowballed from a mere 72 entrants to a massive 300 boats carrying over 2,000 competitors, racing for 35 trophies. Festivities along the river at Richmond will begin at noon with live music, a children's beach, donkey rides and food and drink stalls.