Penn alum to be oldest competitor in Charles regatta

All three of Penn’s crew teams will take to the river this weekend at the Head of the Charles, one of North America’s biggest fall races, on the Charles River in Boston.

Accompanying the Quakers will be Richard Kendall, Pennsylvania Class of 1951, who will be the oldest rower to compete this weekend, according to The Boston Globe.

The 82-year-old oarsman has won the Senior Veteran Singles division (age 70 and over) in 10 of the past 11 years — missing the regatta in 2006 after recovering from cancer. He still holds the course record for the event, which he set in 2001 at 20 minutes, 31.75 seconds.

While a student at Penn, Kendall was part of the lightweight team that overcame insurmountable odds to win the Henley Royal Regatta in 1951 — the rowing equivalent of the Super Bowl. The team celebrated its 60th Anniversary of the feat last year.