The Marathon Rowing Championship is a continuous 42.195 kilometres (26.219 mi) rowing regatta on the Cane River Lake in Natchitoches, Louisiana. Northwestern State University is the official host of the regatta. The Marathon begins near the Melrose Plantation and ends at Front Street in Natchitoches. The regatta is open to all sculling and sweep-oar rowing boats. On the day of the Marathon, the Cane River is open only to competitors. The Marathon Rowing Championship did not take place in 2010 or 2011 due to low water during an extreme regional drought.