38 competitors over the age of eighty (80) entered the ‘World Rowing Indoor Sprints’ hosted in March 2019.
Indoor rowing is for all ages but having an 80+ entering the competition is inspiring to say the least.
British record holder Heidi Richards only started indoor rowing three years ago. She got silver at the ‘World Rowing Indoor Sprints 2019’ and in March Heidi of Minerva Bath Rowing Club broke the British Record for the 1,000m indoor sprint (heavyweight women, age 50-59).
On an interview with British Rowing Heidi stated: “I’m fairly new to rowing – it all started when a personal trainer pointed out I was pretty good on the indoor rowing machine. I have some knee arthritis so I was looking for a sport that didn’t exacerbate this and, luckily for me, Minerva Bath Rowing Club had just started a program of learn to row courses which I joined. Three years on, I’m totally hooked both on the water and on the erg.”
Below results for the oldest Competitors at the ‘World Rowing Indoor Sprints 2019’:
| Heavy- weight/ Light- weight | Name | Age | Country | Time |
| Heavy- weight | Warren Parnell | 93 | USA | 10:08.3 |
| Light- weight | Alan Dustin | 89 | USA | 8:24.9 |
| Heavy- weight | Dorothy Cole | 89 | USA | 15:47.5 |
| Heavy- weight | Beryl Home | 88 | AUS | 5:44.6 |
| Light- weight | Janet Prochilo | 88 | USA | 11:48.2 |
| Light- weight | Anne Cresswel | 80 | AUS | 4:20.1 |
These are all amazing results. Anne Cresswell’s time of 4:20.1 is just remarkable.
Indoor Rowing is for young and old alike. It is a full-body, low-impact workout. Perhaps you should give it a try.
References:
World Rowing Indoor Sprints 2019 >
British record holder Heidi Richards’ training tips >
