Bob Spenger New Ml 80-84 2k Wr: 7:54.9

[old] mpukita · Post by **[old] mpukita** » February 5th, 2006, 12:02 am

Congratulations Bob! Excellent effort! Best wishes for an outstanding performance at the CRASH-Bs!

[old] monkey · Post by **[old] monkey** » February 5th, 2006, 4:47 am

Absolutely amazing, something to aspire to in thirty years time. Well done! Really looking forward to meeting Joan, Bob and many others in Boston this month.

[old] hennmart · Post by **[old] hennmart** » February 5th, 2006, 5:05 am

What an inspiration you give Bob. It’s good to know that there is still (I hope) a lot of erging time ahead for us. Congratulations and big cheers to you Bob Hennie

[old] denis melody · Post by **[old] denis melody** » February 5th, 2006, 7:51 am

Bob From one 80/84 lwt to another, outstanding achievement Congratulations on your new WORLD RECORD 7:54.9 I am a minute behind you have gone backwards since I was 75yrs old (8:10.1) how can I at least stop the decline (not for the want of trying] Unable to make Boston this year but hope to see you their in 2007 Once again Congratulations Best Wishes Regards Denis

[old] H_2O · Post by **[old] H_2O** » February 5th, 2006, 9:37 am

Amazing performance. Congratulations!

[old] dennish · Post by **[old] dennish** » February 5th, 2006, 11:35 am

Bob, Outstanding performance. Truly a feel good story. No one deserves it more. Congrats on all the work and now the rewards. dennis

[old] Porkchop · Post by **[old] Porkchop** » February 5th, 2006, 12:41 pm

Bob, Well done. Congratulations.

[old] Citroen · Post by **[old] Citroen** » February 5th, 2006, 1:41 pm

<table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'>QUOTE(joanvb @ Feb 4 2006, 11:11 PM)</div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'>At today's Beach Sprints in Long Beach, California, Bob Spenger broke his 2K world record for male lightweights 80-84, with a time of 7:54.9. (His previous WR was 8:05.6.) Bob's time is faster than the 80-84 MH record, and he is also the first 80 year old to break 8:00! Congratulations, Bob! Joan </td></tr></table> That is truly amazing. I have a friend who rows in the gym with me - Gordon James - he turned 80 on Jan 6th and was pulling 2:07s for a 1K training row last week. Under 8 minutes is out of this world. Well done Bob.

[old] rspenger · Post by **[old] rspenger** » February 5th, 2006, 8:26 pm

<table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'>QUOTE(NavigationHazard @ Feb 4 2006, 05:39 PM)</div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'>Congratulations (again), Bob! Boy, how fast are you going to be once you get this rowing thing figured out.... Who did you have coxing, if I may ask? </td></tr></table> Jon, Rob Perrot did the coxing again this year, as he did last year at LB. Mary was also there this time and was a lot of help as well. My t-shirt was sopping with sweat from my warmup and I was really concerned about the wind coming in through an open door just behind me. Apparently she noticed this and asked me it I wanted it closed. I most certainly did and nodded assent. After she closed the door, she also noticed that I still had my dark glasses case hanging from my belt. she proceded to remove that while Rob helped me with adjusting the position of the stretchers. The time for the start was rapidly approaching and I still was struggling to unzip the lower legs of my convertible pants. Once I got that done, Rob took care of them and I could settle down to a start position. My goal was 7:59.9, so I tried to keep it around 1:59 and 2:00 most of the time. Rob kept reminding me to sit up as straight as I could and to breath deeply. Since I have considerable kyphosis, which tends to restrict my lung space, these were very important reminders to counteract that as much as possible. It was nice to get that extra 5 second cushion. If Dean Smith stays healthy, and I hope that he does, I am counting on him to break my records when he turns 80 next year, but it is nice to know that this will make him work 5 seconds harder to do it for the 2k. Thanks, Jon Bob S.

[old] Mary P. · Post by **[old] Mary P.** » February 5th, 2006, 9:44 pm

Hi, Bob - One more time, Congratulations! Looking over your shoulder as you took some 10's in the second 1000 of your race, and easily doing 1:58, 1:57, I think you can go under 7:50 (honest). Those 10's were quite calm & impressive. Great to watch you yesterday, Mary P. (just knew that door was too much draft)

[old] rspenger · Post by **[old] rspenger** » February 6th, 2006, 2:17 pm

I just want to thank the many members who took the time to send congratulatory messages. It was quite heart-warming to hear from you from all over the world. Some have asked about Boston. I will probably go, but I must admit that, with my major goals met, I don’t exactly have all that much motivation to improve – not this week at any rate. Perhaps I will gain more incentive in the next couple of weeks. I did bring back an almost new (i.e. used intensively for about 6 hours) Model D from Long Beach, so that should provide some inspiration. For those that might have wondered, there were no squeals of complaint from the pig. There is still a little numbness in my left leg, which was used for vein harvesting, but I hardly notice it. My main complaint is the wires in my sternum, especially when wearing a pulse monitor belt. Since I was making a rare visit to the metropolitan area, I took the opportunity to get one of Polar’s new fabric belts. It is definitely better, although I am still not getting a steady signal on the PM3 receivers. The down side is that the plastic covered transmitter sits right on top of the area where the wires are the most prominent. It seems hard to believe that it has been less than 32 months since I miserably failed the stress test and was told, in essence, that the artery isn’t all that bad, but that valve has got to go. About six weeks later, the saw went down the center of my sternum and the work was underway. Eighteen months (to the day) after the surgery, I gave it a shot at the 2005 Beach Sprints and was amazed to win my fourth CRASH-B qualification. Sub 8 was still just an “impossible dream” at that point, but that is where it started. Bob S.

[old] c2bill · Post by **[old] c2bill** » February 6th, 2006, 3:03 pm

Bob: I'm in awe as i read this thread - amazing performance and one that i am sad to have missed. I tell the story of meeting you in denmark often - and in particular have started to pay more attention to my stretching and flexibility. <For those of you who haven't had the opportunity to meet Bob in person he moves with a casual saunter - walking more like a 20 year old than an 80 y.o.> Regards, -bill <table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'>QUOTE(rspenger @ Feb 6 2006, 01:17 PM)</div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'>I just want to thank the many members who took the time to send congratulatory messages. It was quite heart-warming to hear from you from all over the world. Some have asked about Boston. I will probably go, but I must admit that, with my major goals met, I don’t exactly have all that much motivation to improve – not this week at any rate. Perhaps I will gain more incentive in the next couple of weeks. I did bring back an almost new (i.e. used intensively for about 6 hours) Model D from Long Beach, so that should provide some inspiration. For those that might have wondered, there were no squeals of complaint from the pig. There is still a little numbness in my left leg, which was used for vein harvesting, but I hardly notice it. My main complaint is the wires in my sternum, especially when wearing a pulse monitor belt. Since I was making a rare visit to the metropolitan area, I took the opportunity to get one of Polar’s new fabric belts. It is definitely better, although I am still not getting a steady signal on the PM3 receivers. The down side is that the plastic covered transmitter sits right on top of the area where the wires are the most prominent. It seems hard to believe that it has been less than 32 months since I miserably failed the stress test and was told, in essence, that the artery isn’t all that bad, but that valve has got to go. About six weeks later, the saw went down the center of my sternum and the work was underway. Eighteen months (to the day) after the surgery, I gave it a shot at the 2005 Beach Sprints and was amazed to win my fourth CRASH-B qualification. Sub 8 was still just an “impossible dream” at that point, but that is where it started. Bob S. </td></tr></table>

[old] wellborn · Post by **[old] wellborn** » February 7th, 2006, 10:02 pm

Hi Bob, From a current Fullertonite to a former one, I'd like to add my congratulations to the growing list. My wife, daughter, and I decided to spectate the Beach Sprints last Saturday, so we could see what an indoor regatta is like. We were there for your race, but did not realize you were setting a WR. That was some race, because 3 of the 14 competitors ended up qualifying for the Crash-B's. I whispered to my daughter, "I've got a loooong way to go before I come to one of these as a competitor." But it was sure fun to watch. Congrats again! Gene H.

[old] kjgress · Post by **[old] kjgress** » February 8th, 2006, 12:32 pm

Bob: Just adding my congratulations. Way to go!! For my 2 cents, I hope you do decide to go to Boston; you will be missed if you don't make it. KJG

[old] dingrr · Post by **[old] dingrr** » February 11th, 2006, 9:55 pm

Well done Bob. It's people like you that truly inspire me and keep me off the couch.

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Bob Spenger New Ml 80-84 2k Wr: 7:54.9

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