'Waterboy' regatta lures Olympic rowing legend Eric Murray back to boat

Eric Murray smacking golf balls off the banks of Lake Karapiro River was the typically unusual way the Olympic rowing champion wanted to announce he's looking for new crewmates.

Little more than a year ago, Murray officially announced his retirement and the end of an illustrious rowing career that spanned more than a decade.

And since his retirement, Murray's found a niche in front of the camera.

"I've gotta say, we're really lucky," Murray admits. "We’re in a privileged position because of our results - we've had a lot of opportunities, which has been really amazing." 

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After leaving behind the endless training sessions and early-morning starts, Murray's been the poster athlete for many ad campaigns, including ANZ, where he took on a support role at the Commonwealth Games.

With no plans to get back into the high performance circuit of rowing, he has been drawn back to the boat by charity.

"I do need to come down and get in touch with [my old coach] Noel [Donaldson], and just… check up on everything, should we say," Murray jokes.

That's because the Olympian will be back in the boat this November, headlining a 'celebrity regatta' to raise money for the Waterboy Foundation – a charity that breaks down barriers for kids who are struggling to take up sport.

"Oh, it's going to be great," Murray said. "We’re just going to wing it

"It's only 500 metres, so I'm sure my limited amount of fitness will be fine for that length of a race."

The regatta will welcome corporates to race in an eight, alongside top New Zealand rowers and other celebrities.

Murray admits it will be a lot of fun and unpredictable, because the boats will include at least six people who haven’t learnt how to row.

"My competitive spirit in terms of rowing's disappeared these days, so I'll be a team player," he promises.

Murray also believes short, social regattas like this one are the way forward for the sport's participation numbers.

"We need to evolve as a sport," Murray said. "At the moment, rowing's 2000-metre racing and that's it.

"A lot of sports have made shorter versions to keep it more enjoyable and more commercial, and I definitely think rowing needs to move down the same path."

He proposes a New Zealand Sprint Championships with 500-metre races would help ignite interest.

"You could become the NZ champion in the sprint form of rowing, then you might get the bug and all of a sudden you're right into it."

Newshub.