Ivy League Regatta Rows Into Headwind

History may have a bit to do with the races' resiliency, as the 89-year-old event dates back to the 1870 fox hunt in Montclair, N.J., that spawned its nickname: "The Hunt." That race's proceeds benefit a local cancer center, making portions of the higher parking and tent costs tax deductible. However, event organizers say they've stayed in the race largely by maintaining relationships and solvency in down years and looking to better times. That thinking is already helping the Head of the Charles, which has lured Audi back as a sponsor for 2010 and is in talks with L.L. Bean and Brooks Brothers to put an apparel company back on its racks.

"It's been a challenging couple of years, but it doesn't come to you -- you have to go to them," says Guy Torsilieri, co-chair of the Far Hills Race Meeting Association and president of the National Steeplechase Association's board of directors. "I don't want to say it's recession-proof, but we're doing OK."

-- Reported by Jason Notte in Boston.

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