ROYLEROW PERFORMANCE TRAINING PROGRAMS

Rowing Coach: Marlene Royle, OTR

The following article about Roylerow athlete, Rob Slocum, appeared in Independent Rowing News, December 10, 2000, Volume 7: Number 22, Pages30-31.

                                                         Another day at the office!

Ultra Erging                                                        

Going Too  Far: The hardcore world of ultra distance erging

By Caroline Grogan

Thanksgiving Saturday may be a lazy day of football and leftovers for many, but certainly not for Rob Slocum. The 51-year-old rower from Stamford, Conn. picked the holiday weekend to go after one of the stranger records in our sport: the 100,000-meter erg marathon. Though he  missed setting a worlds record by almost 10 minutes, his finish time of six hours, 32 minutes and 45 seconds was seven minutes better than his last effort, and set a record in his age category.

Yes, he's done this before. Slocum considers himself a pioneer in ultra-distance erging, and though competition is sparse in this extreme version of indoor rowing, the numbers are growing.

"Marathon rowing on the water just isn't as feasible as indoor rowing," said supporter Lance Starin. Though Starin has never taken a stroke on the water, he regularly logs six hours at a stretch on the erg. He and Kathleen Carroll flew from San Francisco to Slocum's waterfront home to provide support during his assault on the record books. They spent four hours erging on either side of Slocum as he tried to maintain his 1:54 per 500 meter pace.

Members of the Norwalk River Rowing Club also took their turn at the beasts lined up on either side of the endurance champ, buoying their club mate's spirits, and keeping his competitive edge razor sharp.

The Californians has learned of Slocum through the Concept 2 website, which posts erg records up to the marathon distance 42, 195 meters. No surprise, Slocum holds the fastest time. In the small community of long distance erging, it's hard to go unnoticed, and the trio has struck up a bi-coastal friendship based on their passion for indoor kilometers. Slocum flew out west a few weeks ago to cheer Starin and Carroll's coach, Jim Karanas, who ergged a million meters over eight days, spending 15 hours a day on the machine.

According to Starin, the ultra distance erg phenomenon is particularly popular in England and New Zealand. Long distance ergging draws a group who might not ordinarily choose rowing.

"This type of endurance event is much more appealing for smaller people, who just aren't going to be competitive at the shorter distances," said Starin. He also pointed out its appeal for older rowers. The ultra-ergers hope that their journey might plant the seed for an annual event similar to C.R.A.S.H.-B.s.

"There are some real hot beds of ultra rowing around the world," said Judy Geer of Concept 2. She says while most ultra-rowing tends to be more of a team effort, groups like Jim Karanas's Club One in San Franscisco demonstrate that interest is indeed growing.

Slocum, who has competed in six Iron Man competitions, is no stranger to the nutritional requirements of endurance events, but admits that the 100k erg has him stumped. "I just haven't solved the eating during competition problem yet," he said. Rice cakes, Gatorade, and carob bars weren't enough to keep him from fading off the pace five hours into the event.

Though disappointed by missing the record, Slocum planned to take Sunday off before hitting the machine again Monday morning. [end]

*Special Note: Rob can go pretty fast over 1000 meters, too, and won Gold at the 2000 US Masters National Championships in the D2x with partner, Andy Hall! Great job, Rob- Marlene

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