A grueling, full body exercise, rowing has gained popularity as a fun but challenging way to stay in shape. As interest in the sport rises, more and more people are trading in their tennis shoes for oars, preferring this lower-impact alternative to more traditional cardio activities like long-distance running or cycling. Many newcomers are turning to places like Rowbot Fitness, an indoor rowing gym located in Smyrna, to get started with their training. Recently, however, the gym has attracted even more attention than usual. On Sunday, June 1, the world watched as owner Charles Anderson and crew member Stephen Ebbett rowed 1 million meters for charity, making history in the process.
Friends, family and members of the rowing community turned out in support of the two-man team as they set two world records, nearly doubling the previous record for the Longest Continual Row and setting the bar for the Fastest Million Meters. According to the contest rules, the men, who were placed together in the 30-39 Men’s Heavyweight Tandem category, were required to keep the machine in motion for the entire duration of the task. The rowers burned an average of 700 calories per hour as they covered the distance from Rowbot Fitness to the White Hours, an undertaking that took almost 90 hours to complete. In addition, the men managed to make a total of 62 wardrobe changes, including full and partial changes.
People from over 25 countries viewed and commented on the world record attempt, which was streamed live online. To cheer on the world record contenders, hundreds of onlookers tagged their social media posts with #TheBigRow. In addition to the pair’s success in breaking the world record on the Indoor Rower, there’s more good news to be shared. During the row, the men raised $2,000 for Open Hand Atlanta and $5,600 for Kidney Research UK.
