Concept2 Forum

I was reading my email the other day and read this from concept 2 about the January virtual Challenge "Our top rower was 73-year-old, Kathryn Dunnmon, of the Ancient Mariners, with 1,500,000 meters"!!! One month 1,500,000 meters? it took me one year to row 1,000,000 meters, she rowed 1,500,000 meters in one month, at 73 years old? Im just having a hard time believing it thats all.

maybe i should have posted this in the rant and raves section, I just realized that there is such a section.

I noticed this too.

She averaged 50,000 meters a day.

Kathryn Dunnmon, congratulations on your accomplishment.

She must have a helluva grip !

She may be retired which gives her an extra 10 hours a day for something a little unique now and then.

If she's in shape, she may have rowed 5K in 20 minutes or so 10 times a day. Maybe the erg is hooked to a generator.

It's always great to see active 70 + year olds getting plenty of exercise. I hope to still be very active at that age but you won't see me rowing 50,000m a day. It's not smart rowing as the intensity(regardless of the age) would have to be very low. She would have had very little pressure on the handle to achieve those numbers even if it was done in several sittings.

Quality is always more important than volume and she would have lost nothing by doing shorter distances. The saved time would be better used for other gym equipment or by exercising outdoors in some other form of cross training.

Sometimes one needs to think about why they are doing so much of the same thing and what realistically they'll actually achieve from this. It looks to me that she is more involved in just chasing numbers rather than the benefits of a good rowing plan.

in cardiac rehab, 5K takes me 30+ minutes cruising, and handle pressure is not that light, and I need to keep my HR under control. At 73, her max HR is supposed to be 20 points below mine. When I am doing cooldown after intervals, I am rowing at 15 spm and the rate is about 6:00+ @ 500m. Seems impossibly slow when fresh. Relaxing and peaceful when one is really tired.

No matter how she assembled it, its amazing. Just the time to put it to accomplish it, let alone be able to do it in 30 days. Could have been 100,000k every other day, so she could get rest days.

They must have some kind of verification right, i mean for a 73 year old women to row 50000 meters a day, thats seems absurd. Thats almost absurd volume even if your training for the olympics, it just doesnt seem like your body would be able to take it.

LJWagner wrote:She must have a helluva grip !

She may be retired which gives her an extra 10 hours a day for something a little unique now and then.

If she's in shape, she may have rowed 5K in 20 minutes or so 10 times a day. Maybe the erg is hooked to a generator.

Kathryn's 5K time in the rankings is 27:03.8. There is no way she is rowing a 5K in 20 minutes. It probably is taking her about 30 minutes per 5K. That is a lot of time on the erg every day. You have to admire her perseverance.

Frank

Sometimes one needs to think about why they are doing so much of the same thing and what realistically they'll actually achieve from this.

Well, one thing she's achieved is that we're talking about Kathryn Dunnmon! She's the newest celebrity indoor rower.

WorldTed

FrankJ wrote:Kathryn's 5K time in the rankings is 27:03.8. There is no way she is rowing a 5K in 20 minutes. It probably is taking her about 30 minutes per 5K. That is a lot of time on the erg every day. You have to admire her perseverance.

Frank

Kathryn's half marathon time is 2:03:09.0, a pace of 2:55.1 for 500.

Based on my half marathon time, and my pace for doing 1 million meters in 19 days, she probably did relatively close to her half marathon pace for the distance, i.e. within 30s or so.

Considering if her pace was 3:30 for 500, then each 50k took slightly less than 6 hours of rowing, and for 30 days in a row. This is quite an impressive and admirable feat!

Where's Chad when you really need him (for "Granny bashing") (meant very respectfully- I could never do those kind of distances every day!!!)

af

Given the quality of daytime TV (poor), I'd rather spend 6 hours on the erg too!

As much as I sometimes find any of these amazing feats on the erg (or any activity) beyond my small mind's comprehension and poor body's ability, it's fascinating just to think someone would strive to do them.

Maybe she's been drinking JR's kale smoothies for replenishment.

Back in my marathoning days, I remember a 72 year old woman whipped my then 33 year old butt at the Catalina Marathon. On the boat back she was walking and joking and having a good old time while I was suffering to find a comfortable position to work out my cramps and hoping I could drive myself home.