Last Man Standing ultramarathons; Last One Rowing?

[jcross485]

I think we're all cognizant that running is a bit more popular globally than indoor rowing. That said, the indoor rowing community is quite strong and generally supportive of each other, something that I have found to be the case in the ultra running world as well.

There's been a bit of a rise in the popularity of ultramarathons and specifically "last man standing" type of events. For those who are unfamiliar, the general idea is that, every hour on the hour, you cover a certain amount of ground (generally on some kind of looped course for logistics), and ultimately the event keeps going until everyone but one person has dropped out. There was one recently in TX (USA) where the runners covered 4.2 miles every hour on the hour until they ultimately had to put an end to it due to weather and course conditions; there were two people left at the 56 hour mark that ultimately tied for the win. It's pretty wild to think about - minimal if any sleep across more than two days and 235+ miles covered.

It got me thinking a bit. There are clearly some endurance and ultra endurance rowing events, namely the marathon, 50k, and 100k, that people train for and complete on their own, but there doesn't seem to be anything like the last man standing ultramarathons in rowing.

Would an event like this on a C2 erg be something that anyone is interested in, likely virtually?

I haven't thought too much about the actual organization of something like this, the distance, the logistics, etc. (some rough ideas), but it seems like something that could be done and personally something I would be interested in trying at some point. I'm sure there would be ways to "game" it if done virtually so a lot would be on the honor system with the C2 logbook and potentially photos of the individual completing each segment to verify.

All of that said, am I the only one who would be interested in some kind of event like this? If there are others who may be interested, what are some of your thoughts on the distance per hour, the logistics, etc.?

I feel like, with enough interest and thoughts / ideas thrown out there, someone may be able to work with C2 directly to arrange something, potentially tied in with a fundraiser for a good cause.

[Dangerscouse]

I like your initiative to consider something like this, and potentially to administer it, but it's not something I'd consider.

I erg in a loft conversion, so the noise in the middle of the night would be too intrusive for my wife and my neighbours, as I'm assuming I'd have to row with the window open. More importantly, I'm too old to consider any kind of sleep deprivation as I just don't function well when I'm tired.

[MPx]

Wow! not my thing at all JC but sounds like a great idea for you endurance guys.

To some extent you may be able to control the overall duration by upping the mileage per hour a little. Over two days is mega endurance, but not really a spectator sport. I'd think you'd want people dropping by the wayside more quickly and all over in about 36 hours tops (although if Elizabeth enters it'd probably last a couple of weeks!) - may be hard to find enough people willing to devote such a long period to it? Maybe 7500m or 8k /hr?

On a completely different tack, if you want to get stuck in to endurance testing, how about just finding a buddy or 10 for one of the 100k team challenges ? Fully recognised by C2 already and you get a certificate and everything if you get the record! I've only done one - large team of old fatties - and that was basically a series of 20 stroke sprints before changeover, but obvs the fewer people in the team the longer/slower the individual contributions.

[alex9026]

I'd actually be tempted by something along these lines if there was enough interest generated. I think it was David Goggins who popularised the walk/jog/run 4 mile every hour for 24 hours? I like Mike's suggestion of perhaps upping the distance for Erging, though.

Sleep deprivation is something I've become quite accustomed to when it rolls round every 7-10 days, but my attempts to exercise at the end of a night shift have never gone to plan, it really is a different animal! I watched a great documentary on The Race Across America (on bikes) which highlighted this, I think they actually have rules in place now because some competitors simply would not stop cycling.

I think with the tandem attempts, the logistics will be quite challenging? Ideally a gym/rowing club would support this.

[jcross485]

I like your initiative to consider something like this, and potentially to administer it, but it's not something I'd consider.

I erg in a loft conversion, so the noise in the middle of the night would be too intrusive for my wife and my neighbours, as I'm assuming I'd have to row with the window open. More importantly, I'm too old to consider any kind of sleep deprivation as I just don't function well when I'm tired.

It's certainly different than what people traditionally do. For as physically demanding as it may be, the sleep deprivation aspect is what I think would be the most challenging to me as well. I used to be able to get by on very poor sleep, meaning irregular times going to bed and getting up, no real consistency, multiple nights in a row with very few hours of sleep, etc. I've found with getting older that I need to pay more attention to sleep. There are a few supplements I've found that actually help quite a bit, diet and food intake close to bed make an impact, and the temperature of the room matters too.

Wow! not my thing at all JC but sounds like a great idea for you endurance guys.

To some extent you may be able to control the overall duration by upping the mileage per hour a little. Over two days is mega endurance, but not really a spectator sport. I'd think you'd want people dropping by the wayside more quickly and all over in about 36 hours tops (although if Elizabeth enters it'd probably last a couple of weeks!) - may be hard to find enough people willing to devote such a long period to it? Maybe 7500m or 8k /hr?

On a completely different tack, if you want to get stuck in to endurance testing, how about just finding a buddy or 10 for one of the 100k team challenges ? Fully recognised by C2 already and you get a certificate and everything if you get the record! I've only done one - large team of old fatties - and that was basically a series of 20 stroke sprints before changeover, but obvs the fewer people in the team the longer/slower the individual contributions.

Thanks for the insight! I certainly would not want to see this go for multiple days but depending on who entered, the distance per hours, etc., it could very well turn into something. I didn't think of it as a spectator sport by any means, more of a challenge.

With respect to distance, my initial thought was somewhere around 8k per hour; I think 10k might make the barrier to entry just a bit high but if you go too short, you might end up spending as much time off the machine as on. The running events tend to be around 4-4.5 miles on the hour; people end up finishing each loop with anywhere from just a few mins to 20 mins to spare and doing 8k on the erg might line up with that.

I'm working on some shorter distance goals currently but am ultimately going to take on a 50k and 100k solo; I am not sure when but I'm getting the hunch it will be late in the calendar year once our temps are cooled off. I also just saw there is a 24 hour challenge where you accumulate as many meters as possible in a 24 hour window; that might be something to take on as well.

[reuben]

I don't want to drag the thread too far afield, but if you're interested in enduance/sleep deprivation, read End to End, by Paul Jones.

Cycling from Lands End to John O'Groats. 800+ miles of wind, rain, hills, sleep deprivation, and hallucinations. Sounds like fun, eh?

Last I knew the recognized men's record is 43+ hours, with a 41+ hour transit still being validated. The women's record is 51+ hours, and there are great stories of many women taking on the challenge - it's not just crazy men, there were/are crazy ladies as well.

The attempts start in the late 1800s with penny farthing bikes, if you can imagine riding into 20mph head/crosswinds up and down hills on one of those contraptions. Later attempts are less prone to crashes as safety bicycles weighing 50 pounds (22 kilos) appear. Oof!

[jcross485]

I'd actually be tempted by something along these lines if there was enough interest generated. I think it was David Goggins who popularised the walk/jog/run 4 mile every hour for 24 hours? I like Mike's suggestion of perhaps upping the distance for Erging, though.

Sleep deprivation is something I've become quite accustomed to when it rolls round every 7-10 days, but my attempts to exercise at the end of a night shift have never gone to plan, it really is a different animal! I watched a great documentary on The Race Across America (on bikes) which highlighted this, I think they actually have rules in place now because some competitors simply would not stop cycling.

I think with the tandem attempts, the logistics will be quite challenging? Ideally a gym/rowing club would support this.

The Goggins thing is 4 x 4 x 48; 4 miles every 4 hours for 48 hours. It's a bit different and frankly a bit easier (IMO) than the last one standing ultra marathon idea as you can fit in a couple of hour naps in between efforts as it goes on.

I will have to check that documentary out; I love watching those more obscure sports documentaries or features on things that aren't the more popular sports. So many fascinating stories and athletes out there!

I don't want to drag the thread too far afield, but if you're interested in enduance/sleep deprivation, read End to End, by Paul Jones.

Cycling from Lands End to John O'Groats. 800+ miles of wind, rain, hills, sleep deprivation, and hallucinations. Sounds like fun, eh?

Last I knew the recognized men's record is 43+ hours, with a 41+ hour transit still being validated. The women's record is 51+ hours, and there are great stories of many women taking on the challenge - it's not just crazy men, there were/are crazy ladies as well.

The attempts start in the late 1800s with penny farthing bikes, if you can imagine riding into 20mph head/crosswinds up and down hills on one of those contraptions. Later attempts are less prone to crashes as safety bicycles weighing 50 pounds (22 kilos) appear. Oof!

I'll have to add it to the reading list or find the audio version for when I'm traveling for work.

In some of the more crazy ultra events where sleep deprivation occurs, the hallucination stories are interesting. There are some clear safety issues that come along with it but even more so on the bike due to the sheer speed of travel. James Lawrence did a few big iron distance triathlon challenges (50 iron distance triathlons in 50 days in 50 states; 101 iron distance triathlons in 101 days) and during the 50/50/50 attempt, I believe he fell asleep on the bike at one point and crashed which almost put an end to the whole thing, not necessarily from sleep deprivation (although I'm sure it contributed) but due to sheer fatigue.

I personally would love to do one of the more extreme challenges at some point but family and work would not allow it at this point in my life. Maybe someday.

[reuben]

I'll have to add it to the reading list or find the audio version for when I'm traveling for work.

Each chapter is somewhat self contained as it documents a certain rider in the pantheon, so you can read a few chapters, put it down for a week, come back and not miss much. The only thread really running through it is the author's own attempt to complete the ride, although he does this in spurts over months, as work, family, and other matters allow.

And yes, I recall at least one rider falling asleep while riding.

Wind is a big factor, especially at the start. Hallucinations include a horde of rabbits.

I believe that the most recent (up-to-date) edition is 2022.

[iain]

There are also official C2 records for "continuous row". From memory for the solo event there is a requirement that you row at least 50 min in evry hour, but no minimum speed. The record seems to be 66 hours! see:
https://www.concept2.com/records/ultra- ... e_variant=