The 500 meter row. A staple for many; an all-out fly and die effort. For the fast it’s over quickly yet feels like it takes forever when done at max effort. Many, such as Sam Loch, have tried to chase down a two-decade old world record and come close, but it still sits out there beckoning challengers to try it. Others excel in their age group and dominate many different distances, such as Anne Bourlioux, who owns 35 world records.
Some people battle records for months; others break their own records, almost daily. Shawn Baker has done just that: he’s broken the 500 meter record for heavyweight men, age 50–59, over ten times in 2017. The previous record holders? Shawn Baker himself. Shawn likes to push to that dark mental place often, way more often than this writer does. A brutal 500 meters isn’t something that often crosses my mind as a piece I’d like to do every day.
What pushes someone to want to do such a challenging piece over and over? Continue Reading ›
This weekend, three athletes, sponsored by Nike, tried to break the 2-hour (running) marathon barrier. Eliud Kipchoge (Kenya) came close by covering the 26.2 mile distance in 2:00:25. This begs the question: can a 2-hour marathon be rowed?
The current world record on the indoor rower is 2:21:08.7 by Ben de Wit (Canada). Compared to the current officially-recognized running world record of 2:02:57, this seems a long way off. Concept2 employees Meredith Breiland and Jameson Halnon discuss if a 1:59:59 marathon row is possible. There are a few more days left in our Global Marathon Challenge to try!
In response to increased participation in our World Records and the expansion of our equipment offerings, Concept2 is introducing several new world record categories. Today, we are announcing world records for pieces done using Slides and a limited number of categories for pieces done using the Dynamic Indoor Rower. We will, of course, continue to maintain “static” indoor rower records. Continue Reading ›
One of the best features of Concept2 ergs (ski or rowing) is that they accurately measure the work you’re doing. In addition, the flywheel calibrates itself on every rundown to take ambient conditions into account, so someone at altitude can compare their erg time with someone at sea level, regardless of the weather and environmental conditions.
What’s so great about this? It means you can race! You can compare your times and distances with friends and competitors in another state, country or continent. It also makes the SkiErg a great tool for tracking your training progress by comparing your performance in a certain workout from one time to the next. Continue Reading ›
