Holiday Challenge

The Details

• Row and/or ski 100,000 meters or 200,000 meters from November 24 to 11:59 p.m. ET December 24.
• You do not need to be on a team to participate! Log your individual meters.
• Indoor rower and SkiErg meters only (no on water/on snow meters please). You can combine meters from each machine to reach the challenge goal.
• Kid's Holiday Challenge allows kids (aged 16 and under) to participate at 50,000 meters.
• Adaptive athletes can choose to participate at the 50k, 100k, or 200k levels.
• Deadline for entering meters: January 4th, 2012.

Over $31,000 Raised During the 2011 Holiday Challenge!

For the 2011 Holiday Challenge, we rowed and skiied for disaster relief organizations, both international and in our home state of Vermont, which was hit very hard by the aftermath of Hurricane Irene. For every person who did at least 100K during the challenge, Concept2 donated $.02 for each kilometer up to 100K and $.04 for each kilometer on top of that. As a result of your efforts, 1,294,391,305 meters were completed, raising a total of $31,018.36. Here is the breakdown by charity.

Making Additional Donations

A number of you have shown an interest in donating personally to the charities we've selected this year to help us reach our goal. That's wonderful! We ask that you send your donations directly to the charities. You can find information on how to donate on each charity's site (see links above). Thank you for your generosity!

How to Participate

1. You must have an Online Logbook at concept2.com (it's FREE!) and all of your meters must be entered into your Online Logbook. If you don't already have one, visit the Online Logbook home page, click Register under New User and follow the directions. Kids Challenge participants need to set up an individual logbook (using a parent's email address is fine).
2. Under the Profile tab, enter your current mailing address. This is to ensure we have your correct mailing address for mailing your pin (see below for how to qualify).
3. After you row/ski, record your meters in your Online Logbook. The Online Logbook automatically calculates your meters during the challenge.
4. Visit the Challenges page in your Online Logbook. When you've reached your goal, the Challenges page of the Online Logbook automatically recognizes your achievement and displays instructions for claiming your rewards.

Don't have a Concept2 Indoor Rower or SkiErg? That's OK! Use our Indoor Rower Finder or SkiErg Finder to find a location near you with one of our machines.

Incentives and Rewards

The incentives and rewards available depend on which goal you achieve. Here's how it works.

200k, 50k Kids, and Adaptive

Participants who complete 200,000 meters, kids who complete 50,000 meters, and adaptive athletes who complete at least 50,000 meters are entitled to the following incentives and rewards:

• A free downloadable certificate of achievement
• A free downloadable heat transfer for making your own Holiday Challenge-wear
• A free Holiday Challenge pin: Pins are sent automatically to the address on file in your Online Logbook. Please ensure you have entered a valid address in order to receive your pin.
• Access to the Holiday Challenge shop through our third-party fulfillment vendor

100k Finishers

Participants who complete 100,000 meters are entitled to the following incentives and rewards:

• A free downloadable certificate of achievement
• A free downloadable heat transfer for making your own Holiday Challenge-wear
• Access to the Holiday Challenge shop through our third-party fulfillment vendor

Preparing for the Holiday Challenge

If completing 200,000 meters in a month is a new challenge for you, here are a few ideas to help prepare before the challenge begins:

• If you haven't tried it before, don't be intimidated! Each year we hear from folks who have never completed any long distances before and have completed the challenge.
• Gradually build your workout time. Try adding an extra 1000 meters per day, especially if you don't usually complete 7000 meters at a time.
• If you don't usually workout every day, try rowing/skiing for several days in a row. The workouts can be short, but see how it feels to row/ski more often.
• Be sure to keep some stretching in your routine or add it if you haven't been doing it regularly. See our recommended stretches.
• Think about when you will fit your extra Holiday Challenge rowing/skiing into your schedule. If it requires that you workout at a different time of day, you should try it out ahead of time. For example, if you don't usually workout first thing in the morning, keep in mind that it may take you longer to warm up at that time of day, and you should not expect to be able to row/ski as hard and as fast as usual right away.
• Will you miss any workouts due to travel or other commitments? If so, plan ahead, so that you can make up the missed meters. For example, you may want to row/ski twice a day on some of the weekends.
• Be sensible! Many people have commented that the Holiday Challenge pushed them to row/ski more than they ever thought they could, and it felt great! On the other hand, it is not wise to make a sudden jump in rowing/skiing time and distance so keep this in mind. You can build your daily meters gradually, even during the challenge itself.