Lucas McGee has dreamed about winning a gold medal since 1980 - and not just any gold medal. His sights are firmly set on Olympic gold, an object of his affection that hasn’t wavered since he was 6 years old.

Although McGee hasn’t encountered that Olympic dream just yet, he’s on his way. As part of the U.S. Men’s Eight rowing team, he took fourth place at the World Championships in Lucerne, Switzerland, in 2001. In 2000, he earned a bronze medal as part of the U.S. Men’s Eight at the Nations Cup Under 23-World Championships in Copenhagen, Denmark; received a silver medal in the IRA Regatta during the U.S. Collegiate National Championships as part of Brown University’s Men’s Varsity Eight; received a gold medal in Eastern Sprints during the Ivy League Championships as part of the Brown team; and was named to the All-Ivy first team. The team was also named Henley Royal Regatta Champion.

McGee was captain of Brown’s Men’s Crew in 1999 and 2000. In 1999, his U.S. Men’s Eight team locked in a gold medal at the Nations Cup Under-23 World Championships in Hamburg, Germany. That same year, his university team scored a silver at the Eastern League Ivy League Championships, and was Open Eight Collegiate Champions at the Head of the Charles competition. He also made the All-Ivy second team. In 1997, McGee was a member of the U.S. Junior National Rowing Team that procured a silver medal at the Junior World Championships.

None of these are his most memorable moment, however. Rather, an opportunity to participate in the 149th annual Oxford-Cambridge University Boat Race in England earlier this year is what stands out most clearly in his mind.

“It’s a grueling 4.25 mile race that is held every year on the Thames River in England,” McGee explained. “Unlike straight sprint racing, the Boat Race takes place on a course with three major bends. Race tactics dictate that you attack when the bend is in your favor and defend when you are on the outside. And history illustrates that the crew that can get to the last bend in front will win the race.”

In the previous 148 years of the race, only twice have crews come from behind on the final bend to win the race - Cambridge in 1886 and Oxford in 1952. As McGee and his team approached the final bend behind the Cambridge team, just two things were on his mind: one, how Oxford came from behind in 1952 to win the race, and two, how much he wanted to win, not just for himself, but for everyone else in the boat with whom he had formed friendships, and shared personal pain and commitments.

“I was no longer thinking about my own desire to beat Cambridge,” McGee revealed. “I was thinking about how much I wanted the other eight people in the boat to taste victory.” Ultimately, his team came from behind to claim first place.

“It was 16 minutes and 54 seconds of pure pain and ecstasy where we never cracked; we never let Cambridge get comfortable and we took it from them,” McGee shared. “It was nine individuals fighting for each other, and it was the best team performance that I have ever been a part of. I was honored to share it with my fellow warriors, my friends.”

Upon graduating from Brown University in the spring of 2001, I accepted a place at the University of Oxford to study for a Masters in Comparative Social Policy for the 2002 academic year. This would allow me to attain a Masters Degree in one year, continue my training for the US National Team, and compete in the annual Oxford-Cambridge University Boat Race.
The Oxford-Cambridge Race, better known as simply The Boat Race, has been contested for 149 years. It is a grueling 4 and 1/4 mile race that is held every year on the Thames River. Unlike straight sprint racing, the Boat Race takes place on a course with three major bends. Race tactics dictate that you attack when the bend is in your favor and defend when you are on the outside. And history illustrates that it is the crew that can get to the last bend in front that will win the race. In fact, in the 148 years of racing prior to this year, only two crews had ever come from behind on the final bend to win the Boat Race (Cambridge in 1886 and Oxford in 1952). To be able to come from behind on the final bend takes both courage and determination, two attributes that Oxford would display on race day.
I woke up at 6:30am on race day and could not believe that the day had finally arrived. It felt like a dream from the very beginning. Seven months of training from camps in Spain, to long winter rows in Oxford, and early mornings in London had come down to this final day. All those hours in the gym and on the water were culminating on this one-day, with only one thing in mind, Cambridge. So I got out of bed excited about the day ahead. The butterflies were already swimming in my stomach, as I got ready and headed downstairs for breakfast. I wasn’t very hungry but forced myself to eat, knowing that I would need the energy later in the day. We headed to the river for a quick morning row. The river was quiet and everything seemed like a normal training day except for the banners and quiet TV trucks.
When we came back to the river in the afternoon, 400,000 people were lining the banks and another 450million were watching on TV. It was race time. And after a decent warm-up, the boat locked onto the stake boat and the crowd started to buzz. The moment had arrived. After what seemed like ages, we had a clean start. Both boats were away and the crowd erupted. It was like rowing in an amphitheater with everyone screaming directly at you. We took the early lead but had a slight bobble and let them back into the race. And as Cambridge took the inside of the first bend, they moved out to a half-length lead. Still confident with our bend yet to come, we settled into what would be an epic battle. But as we took the inside of our large bend, we did not move into the lead. We were in a very vulnerable position, and all realized that it would take a monumental effort to win the race. After about 12 minutes of racing, we were still behind, but we slowly started to move. Our coxswain began screaming into his microphone “BELIEVE! BELIEVE IN YOURSELVES AND YOU CAN DO IT!” And with that, we continued to cut into their lead. But we were approaching the final bend, where only two crews in history who on the outside of the last bend have come from behind to win. Having watched the 1952 race the night before, we all knew the amount of courage and determination that would be needed to win this race. But would we be able to summon up the strength after 14 minutes of pure pain? After 7 months of training alongside each other, watching each other deal with personal pain, forming friendships and commitments to one another could we respond?
The only things going through my mind were the 1952 Boat Race and how much I wanted to win for everyone else in the boat. I was no longer thinking about my own desire to beat Cambridge, I was thinking about how much I wanted the other 8 people in the boat to taste victory. The friendship formed over the year, and the sense of all 9 people being a family was our greatest strength when we were down. We refused to fold because we were no longer fighting for ourselves we were fighting for each other.
I don’t even really remember crossing the finish line. I just looked over and saw the finish boat and realized we had won. I threw up both arms and screamed and then fell straight back in the boat. Lying there completely exhausted. We had become the third crew in the 149 years of the Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race to come around the outside of the final bend to win. It was 16 minutes and 54 seconds of pure pain and ecstasy where we never cracked, we never let Cambridge get comfortable and we took it from them. It was nine individuals fighting for each other, and it was the best team performance that I have ever been a part of and I was honored to share it with my fellow warriors, my friends.