Cumbrian rower gets place in historic boat race

By Steph Johnson

Last updated at 16:42, Friday, 12 March 2010

Student Claire Millican is representing her university in the women’s Oxford v Cambridge boat race at the end of the month.

Claire Millican

The 23-year-old former Nelson Thomlinson pupil is in the second year of a biomedical engineering PHD at Oxford. She’s the reserve for the first women’s heavyweight boat and a crew member for the second.

Excited to be taking part in the historic race, which began in 1829, Claire believes she only missed out on a first team place because of her weight.

She said: “I was in the running until the last week of the selection and it was between me and one other girl.

“I’m 68kg and she’s 80kg, I think they went for raw power in the end.”

An all university Women’s Head of the River race, which takes place tomorrow, will be used as a warm up for the Oxford v Cambridge clash.

Then the rowers will be allowed to ease off to make sure they’re in peak condition for the big event on March 28.

Since September Claire has upped her usual training to 13 sessions a week – a combination of weights, circuits and practice on the water.

The only break was an enforced one during the Christmas holidays when snow hit her running and cycling programmes.

Claire, who is from Kirkbride, said: “I couldn’t do anything outside so ended up running around my dad’s garage.”

She took up rowing in 2004 while an engineering undergraduate at Oxford’s Worcester College.

Although now fully committed to the sport, she does plan to take a break this summer to finalise arrangements for her wedding to fellow student Mike Lucas.

She added: “I’m going to have to stop for a bit – I need to buy a dress.

“Rowing does take up all of my spare time but it doesn’t affect my studies.

“In some ways rowing actually helps. I’ve already been awake for three hours before I get into the lab and because I know I’ve got to leave for training at 4pm I get a lot done during the day.”

First published at 14:13, Friday, 12 March 2010
Published by http://www.cumberlandnews.co.uk