Record participation for the Finnish ErgoMarathon

The transition to virtual racing at the 2021 Finnish ErgoMarathon brought with it a surprise bonus: record participation. The event has been running for 19 years and saw a record 88 participants compete virtually on Saturday 24 April.

“Virtual racing brings not only challenges, but also opportunities,” says organiser Pentti Soini. “For example, allowing rowers to attend races from their own homes, not having to travel long distances and being able to join international races on the other side of the globe.”

This is the second year that the ErgoMarathon has been run virtually, last year’s event took place during the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic, but the organisers say that more preparation time and more practice helped this event to be even more successful.

“Due to the long duration of the marathon distance, we decided to arrange the Virtual ErgoMarathon as an offline competition, meaning rowers could complete the race anytime during the race day. This also made sense since the marathon is such a gruelling distance that you’re primarily competing against yourself,” Soini says.

While it may have increased participation, many competitors missed the in-person race.

“Rowing a marathon distance alone is really challenging. This year we had more ‘did not finish (DNFs)’ than normal, most likely due to the lack of peer support during the painful moments that inevitably occur during the long race,” Soini explains.

Despite the challenges, 88 rowers participated, including many first-time participants and a higher number of female athletes than previous years. Soini says most competitors are masters rowers, with the oldest participant being over 90 years old. Many of the participants are marathon-distance veterans with Soini the only one to have competed in every edition of the ErgoMarathon.

Soini explains that long-distance rowing is common in Finland and the ErgoMarathon usually marks the end of the indoor rowing season.

“After the ErgoMarathon rowers start enjoying rowing on water,” Soini says. “Indeed, most Finnish participants had been following an indoor rowing training programme which culminated in the ErgoMarathon.”

The winter indoor rowing training helps many Finnish rowers prepare for the summer racing.

“We appreciate endurance in Finland,” Soini explains. “The most famous on-water rowing race in Finland is the 60km Sulkava. During the long and harsh winters, when the lakes are frozen, the only way to train for the long-distance rowing races that take place during the short Finnish summer is to do proper indoor training during the winter,” Soini says.

The ErgoMarathon is also constantly trying to develop and grow. In recent years, it has facilitated different types of rowing machines. This year’s event saw new Finnish indoor rowing records and four dynamic world records – the dynamic records were on Concept2 slides or RP3 rowing machines.

“We strive to develop the event continuously. At the ErgoMarathon you can choose not only the traditional static Concept2 but can also row on slides or on the RP3. The results are normalised to allow for comparison irrespective of erg. The dynamic alternatives have gained popularity recently,” Soini says.

And for now, the virtual racing format is here to stay.

“Due to Covid-19 many participants rowed at home this year. Next year we will arrange a main event but also try to organise smaller hubs, where people can join the race in small groups, and allowing face-to-face racing without having to travel far: it is easier to complete the marathon when you get support from other like-minded rowers,” Soini says.

The ErgoMarathon also hopes to attract more international entries. Next year’s event marks the 20^th ErgoMarathon and Soini hopes to celebrate the milestone with a memorable event and record participation both in person and virtually.

He explains that Finland is the happiest country in the world and travelling there to compete in an ErgoMarathon can only make others happy as well.

For full results and more information, click here: https://keravanurheilijat.fi/soutu/v-ergomaraton/ergomarathon-2021-completes-the-indoor-rowing-season-in-finland/