Drysdale knows the way

Kiwi hopes to repeat '05 win on winding course

Mahe Drysdale may come from New Zealand, but he's sculled his way up this serpentine collection of bridges often enough by now that he's reasonably familiar with every arch and twist along the river.

"I now theoretically know the best line, but I've only hit the best line once," said the three-time world champion and Olympic bronze medalist, who's the clear favorite to win his second men's championship singles title in four visits this afternoon at the 44th Head of the Charles Regatta. "I'm still improving and learning every year I'm here."

Drysdale never had seen that fabled dirty water before he won the race in his 2005 debut by less than a second over Steve Tucker. "Ignorance was bliss," Drysdale said, grinning. "Now I know where to go, but I don't seem to be able to go there."

Last year, after leading by five seconds midway along the 3-mile, upstream course, Drysdale lost by less than seven-10ths to Canada's Malcolm Howard after taking a couple of turns wide. Two years ago, Drysdale was beaten by 16 seconds by a man he never saw - Head rookie Santiago Fernandez of Argentina, who threaded his way through the field from the 18th starting spot.

That's what happens when you add an elapsed-time format to a windy, wandering layout, which is what makes this Head race so much of an autumnal lottery.

"It's anyone's race," Drysdale said. "It's so unpredictable."

In this sport and at this level, victory goes to the best man on the day. If Drysdale didn't already know that, he got a reminder this summer in Beijing, where he watched his gold medal dream vanish in the final 100 meters when his dehydrated body ran out of steam and Norway's Olaf Tufte and the Czech Republic's Ondrej Synek passed him.

"It was just one of those things," shrugged Drysdale, who'd been fighting a stomach virus all week and had to be taken off the water in a support boat after the finish. "Going into the race, I knew I wasn't in top shape, but I still completely backed myself to win it. So even though I got bronze, I still was disappointed that I didn't win. But I do appreciate what I did achieve."

Drysdale had been the best man on the day three straight times at the world regatta, and if he'd been healthy at Olympus, he likely would have been again. That's what may well keep him going for another four years and a third Olympic shot, at the London Games.

"I know from experience that any time I lose, it always fires me up," said Drysdale, who was fifth in the uncoxed four in 2004 in Athens before switching to sculling. "I try to get the same motivation when I win, and obviously, it's worked at times. But sometimes it's the losing that sits with you. It's harder to take."

This had figured to be Drysdale's summer. He'd beaten Rob Waddell, the 2000 Olympic champion, to earn the spot on the team and he'd been elected flagbearer for the opening ceremonies. It was an honor, but it presented a dilemma. The preliminary heats were the following afternoon. Did Drysdale want to be on his feet for two hours, wearing the traditional 8-pound Maori feather cloak inside the steamy Bird's Nest stadium, and take the risk of wearing himself out?

Drysdale pondered the pros and cons for a week, then concluded that he could handle a late night and weary legs for the sake of a privilege reserved for New Zealand's legendary sportsmen. "To be honest, I think it actually probably helped me," he said. "The experience to walk into that stadium was just amazing. I thought, 'Man, this is the Olympics. This is what I'm here for.' "

The Saturday heats were no problem. His troubles began Sunday, when Drysdale's gastrointestinal system began acting up. After the quarterfinals, he realized he might be in for a struggle. "I tried rehydrating," said Drysdale, who lost nearly 9 pounds. "I had IVs during the week. I just couldn't keep the fluids in."

Once he made it to Saturday's final, there was no question that he would row. "It was the Olympics," he said. "It comes 'round every four years. I was racing whatever happened. I was out there and going to do my best."

For most of the race, Drysdale said, he felt weirdly good. He was sitting in fifth place after 500 meters, but within easy reach of the leaders. Midway through, Drysdale was sitting comfortably in fourth. "So I put the burners on," he said - and found himself in the lead with 500 to go, still feeling good.

"With probably 250 to go, I started to struggle, but I still thought I could hold on," Drysdale said. "Then, suddenly, it was like hitting a wall. One stroke I was all right, the next stroke there was no more. That was quite a shock."

Tufte, the Athens champion, went by him. So did Synek. Drysdale held on for third, but couldn't remember how. All he knew was, his tank was bone dry. "I think that makes it easier to live with," said Drysdale, who, after upchucking and fainting after the race, said he'd "rowed myself into stupidity."

"The fact that I know there was nothing more I could have done," he said. "I pushed myself to the limit. You get to the finish and go, 'Oh, maybe I could have done this or that.' There's always that doubt in your mind. There was no doubt in mine."

After being treated in the medical tent, Drysdale could barely get to the dock for the medal presentation. "I wasn't going to be allowed to go," he said. "Thankfully, our doctor and manager said, 'He's fine,' and picked me up off the ground and pretty much dragged me. There's a picture in our national paper and I look absolutely dreadful. I've got my arms around them and my eyes are looking somewhere else. I was still a bit wobbly at the medal ceremony."

Bronze might not have been gold, but it still was only the Kiwis' fourth sculling medal in 88 years. "On that day, there were two guys better than me," Drysdale said. "You just move on, and hopefully in four years, it'll be my turn."

At the Head, you get a fresh chance every October. Drysdale had his turn the first time he showed up and now he's primed for another. With Howard taking a pass after winning a gold medal in the eights at the Games, Drysdale will be starting first today, just ahead of countryman Nathan Cohen.

Maybe Cohen will be the man to beat and maybe it'll be the guy starting five minutes later. That's the difference between the Charles and Olympus.

Here, you may never see the guy who finishes ahead of you.

John Powers can be reached at jpowers@globe.com.