Earlier this morning, the Leith river became host to the first ‘Water of Leith Run’ since 2021. Around 100 students gathered in the underbelly of the botanical gardens to ready themselves for a sprint down the slippery stones of the infamous river. Another 50 students watched from the Dundas street bridge, ready to pelt participants with water bombs, flour, and cooking oil.
The ‘Water of Leith Run’ is an annual event that sees new Selwyn residents carry a bathtub down a chosen section of the Leith. Participants aim to keep their bathtub from filling up, although a completely dry bath tub is not necessary to finish the event. In fact, the only thing that was completely dry were the participants, in a way: this initiation was conducted without the presence of alcohol.
The race was cancelled in 2022 due to COVID-19 regulations, leaving a number of residents uninitiated. Organisers were happy to get the race back underway this year, giving new Selwyn residents a taste of the college’s tradition in the form of the tepid abomination that is the Leith.
Critic Te Ārohi joined the ecstatic RA’s and confused passersby watching the event and had a chat with Jacob, a previous participant in 2021. By his measure, not much has changed, but he did make sure to tell us that “[this] shit is not fun at all.” Nonetheless he followed this comment up by clarifying that while you might be glad the race is over, you “don’t regret it.”
To test Jacob’s word, Critic had a chat with Isaac* who had survived the event with only a smattering of flour on his clothes. Isaac regaled that it was “Bloody cold up there” but there were “Good vibes all around.” Isaac commented that the “sense of comradery with everyone” was what made the event so special.
This tradition was originally started in 1935, though it has altered throughout the decades. The run conducted this morning signaled a resumption of the tradition, opening it back up for many generations of students to come.