Walton RC masters women complete double 24 hour erg marathon
The 23 women raised over £4,000 for charity and set a new World Record for the 50-59 age group
Rowing through the night from noon on Friday to noon on Saturday, two squads covered over 600 km (the equivalent of Walton-on-Thames in Surrey to Strathclyde Park!) on two ergos for Just A Drop, a charity that brings safe water and sanitation to communities round the world. So far, their marathon effort has raised over £4,000.
The squads were divided into age groups with 13 athletes aged 40-49 and 10 aged 50-59. Everyone rowed multiple 45-minute shifts, with several completing four sessions including two in the middle of the night.
Astonishingly, after so many strokes, the difference in distance covered on the two machines was just 1,463m. The 40-49 age group covered 306,715 metres over the 24-hour period whilst the smaller 50-59 age group covered 305,252 metres. Although this result is yet to be validated by Concept2, the 50-59 group should have set the World record for the small team in this age category.
The most rewarding aspect of taking part in the challenge was the opportunity to meet and erg alongside a wide range of talented and determined women in aid of an incredibly worthy cause.”
The teams comprised: Nafisah Zainudeen, Lauren Bishop, Kat Burnell, Rebecca Busfield, Solmaz Herranz, Ali Jackson, Holly McGuigan, Lyana Nepia, Tara O’Leary, Kitty Shaw, Suzie Sinharay, Fiona Williams and Kate Wingrove, and Sarah Ayres, Adrienne Burke, Anna Davies, Suzi Eatock, Deena Donald, Dominique Habib Kaanan, Jabeen Mughal, Tracy Muller, Rita Pamma and Hilary Poole. Kitty organised the 40-49 group and Tracy the 50-59 group.
Planning for the 24 hour row started six months ago, after squad member Tracy Muller first got the idea from her personal trainer. “I saw it as a challenge we could complete as a club, and that would give us something to train for and focus on during the long ‘red board’ spells in the winter when we couldn’t get out on the river.
“Realising that there was the opportunity to set a record was initially very exciting but the most rewarding aspect of taking part in the challenge was the opportunity to meet and erg alongside a wide range of talented and determined women in aid of an incredibly worthy cause.
“Deena Donald then suggested that we raise money for a water-orientated charity and so we chose Just a Drop. They in turn have been very supportive of us. As a water-based sport, we are highly conscious of the variability in the water quality of the river we are lucky enough to train on and we were keen to raise money for a charity that champions the supply of high-quality water for others.”
The final 45 minute shift.
The midweek winter training for the masters at Walton RC focuses on mixed group erg and circuit training sessions, which provided a great baseline of fitness for the women who took part. Athletes volunteered to take part from across three different training squads. Those work commitments or longer journeys tended to complete their sessions closer together and impressively arranged their sleep requirements around their nocturnal shifts.
Monica Harding, the MP for Esher and Walton and a keen supporter of the environment, came to the start of the event to lend her encouragement.
The squad’s charity page is still open for donations:
