The Head of The Charles is the largest and most respected regatta in the world. The Marist College Women's Crew team just won a major award there over the weekend.

According to the Marist College Athletics Department, the Women's 4 consisting of Marie Ryden, Elisabeth Kamm, Selena Mildon, Eliza Hartford along with coxswain Isabelle Koch have taken home the gold medal. This is the very first time in the program's history that they've secured the top spot.

This is the 54th annual Head of the Charles and it attracts some 11,000 athletes and even more spectators to the banks of the Charles River in Boston each year. Taking place every October, the massive event takes more than 1,700 volunteers to operate and draws people from 55 countries. In 1997 it grew to a two-day event.

Here's are more in-depth look at what the Marist College crew team is up against every time they head out on the river.

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