Training partners Gevvie Stone and Mary Jones Draw From Each Other

Nice to Have a Friend Nearby When You’re Alone in the Boat

By Brooks Sutherland – Posted on October 21, 2017

Seeking a record eighth singles victory at the Head of the Charles, Gevvie Stone will face a competitive field in Saturday’s women’s championship singles race.

Her toughest challengers figure to include Felice Mueller, who represented the United States in the single scull in the recent World Championships and finished seventh, and

2016 HOCR runner-up Stesha Carle. Perhaps most notable among Stone’s field of challengers is her training partner Mary Jones, who is fresh off of a third-place finish in the lightweight single at the World Rowing Championships in Sarasota, Florida.

Jones moved to Boston last spring and immediately hooked up with Stone to start training at the Cambridge Boat Club. There, Stone and Jones trained extensively with a group of masters men from the club. Stone started her medical residency at Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital in June, and said having a training partner while she goes through residency has been nothing but beneficial.

“I’m pumped to have her (Jones) here in Boston,” Stone said. “Training with someone else makes training a lot more fun. So, it’s been great for me this summer during residency to be forced to get out there in a way. But it’s been a great time training with her. Kept me more fit than I probably would be otherwise.

“I want her to have her best race. I’ve raced against her in practice a lot and we kind of know what to expect from one another. I hope we both have our best race tomorrow.”

Jones heads into the singles race with confidence as well. Racing on a course that she now calls home, the Huntsville, Alabama native feels comfortable on the Charles.

“I’m feeling pretty good,” Jones said. “This being my home course, I’m looking to use my knowledge of the race course to my advantage.”

Jones says that training with an Olympic silver medalist has pushed her to new limits.

“The great thing about Gevvie is that she pushes me every day,” she said. “She’s really fast and gives me someone to try and keep up with. It’s nice to have her perspective on how to approach the race and it will be fun to race each other and see how it goes.”

Though Stone, who has been working lots of night shifts, admits her training for the race hasn’t been as extensive as past years, her recent sub-19-minute time trial suggests the Charles River is still hers to lose.

“I’m excited for the weekend,” Stone said. “Pumped to get my one race of the year in the single in.”