The Gold Cup Challenge

The Philadelphia Challenge Cup event, otherwise known as “The Gold Cup,” began in 1920, during the heyday of Philadelphia rowing. The event pitted the best amateur male single scullers in the world against each other. Philadelphia’s own John B. Kelly Sr. was the first recipient. The contest, and the cup, disappeared in the early 1960s, only to reemerge in 2011 after a 50-year hiatus. A private group of Philadelphia rowing enthusiasts rediscovered the Gold Cup and reinstated the event and tradition to its rightful place in single scull rowing prominence, with the positive expansion of the competition to women.

Course

The course for the Gold Cup is a sprint race on the Cooper River in Camden, New Jersey.

2026 Purse

Prize money of $16,000 will be awarded to the Champion; $12,000 for second place, $8,000 for third place and $4,000 for fourth place. A Gold Cup medal will be given to each winner, and his and her names will be inscribed on the base of the historic Gold Cup, alongside of some of history’s greatest single scullers.

Travel, Hotel & Spectators

You can also find detailed information about the best place to watch the race; as well as, information about our Festival Tent, at https://www.camdencounty.com/service/parks/cooper-river-park/