Ron Long Attempts to Set World Record for Meters Rowed in 24 Hour Period
On the early morning hours of February 19, 2010, Ron Long settled into a comfortable position on a Concept2 Erg at the Roworx warehouse location in Long Beach, California. He strapped his feet in place, reached forward and grabbed the handle, positioned himself at the catch, and certainly had a million thoughts on his mind. The one that I imagine was firmly planted in the forefront of those thoughts was; twenty-four hours from now I will have completed quite a feat and possibly hold a world record.
Attempting a challenge that combines body numbing endurance, as well as having to set a pace designed to break the existing record must have been daunting.
I stopped by to see and interview Ron about five hours into his quest. As I watched him rowing strong, I remembered that I had once driven cross-country for twenty-one hours straight. Stopping only to gas up, grab a bite and a quick pit stop. I can hardly imagine the stress Ron was going to be putting on his body as he attempted to break, what I was soon to discover, were two world records for number of Meters Rowed in a twenty-four hour period. He was attempting to break both the record for his age category of 280,000+ meters, and the overall world record of 300,000+ meters.
As you can see in this short video Ron has a passion for rowing and a passion for life. Although he came up a little short in his attempt to break the world records, his accomplishment was nothing short of remarkable. Ron completed his twenty-four hour journey racking up 252,119 meters. THAT’S OVER A QUARTER MILLION METERS!!!
Learn more about Ron Long and his ERG training routines on his Master the Erg Facebook page.