World Record
Achieved the June 26, 2010

141438 meters on a rowing machine

  • Discipline : Motor sports > Rowing
  • Disability : Amputé Tibial
  • Set by : Franck Festor
  • Nationality : French
  • Location : Puttelange aux Lacs
141438 meters on a rowing machine and a new handisport world record! I will be rowing meter after meter, hour after hour during 24 hours, to achieve a world premiere. In the process I’ll only sleep for ¾ hours and pause several times to eat and rest. Its really hot and the heat is really oppressive. I start to sweat heavily from the first minutes and decide to refuel in water every 5 km, more or less every half hour. After 10km, I pause and take time to walk, drink a beer and eat a banana. Every two hours I eat a plate of pasta, but after 100 km, the only thing I manage to eat are bananas. This is an incredible challenge I have set myself to, without any reference as to where this will take me and no special physical preparation. After 50 km, I decide to stop fo 2 ½ hours. The heat is really unbearable and the sun shines straight in my face. Im starting to doubt, but the thought that the night will bring its cold air keeps me going. I decide to start again at 10.30pm in pitch black. I can hardly see the PM3 screen on my Cocncept 2 rower and cant therefore know my pace nor the distance Im covering. After ½ hour, light finally arrives and I cant head off again. I have to reduce my speed to an average of 500m every 2.45 minutes. My forearms are really aching and my back is letting me know Im gonna pay for for my lack of training! Yet, I row 75km in less than 12 hours and reach the 100km mark in 13 hrs 17 mn. But Im aching more and more and have to keep my speed to 3mn for 500m once I restart after a pause. Its really hard mentally, but I have to hang on. I strive on nevertheless and have to pause often to drink. At 8am Im told a physio is arriving. Finally, a nice massage! My forearms and back are hard as concrete and Im starting to have an ache between my ribs. I feel better after the massage but the abdominal and forearms ache wont go. My hands are full of blisters I didnt even notice. On a friend’s advice I take a small nap. Its really hard to get back on the saddle after it but Im motivated to reach the 100 km and beyond. 100km is a symbolic milestone not reachable by many. Im really happy to have gone this far, I knew it would be hard, but that’s what I like. I may not be trained enough for this type of challenge but my morale made the difference. I have been cheered and supported during these 24hours, I felt it more and more as the hours passed. Usually this is an event where people run for 24 hours and are wearing sneakers. I had offered the organizer to come and support the Association Quentin through this challenge as I was recovering from an injury and weighed a bit too much to run. Running or rowing for those that cannot is the most beautiful thing an athlete can do. Each time I pull on the rower’s grip, I move forward. I have set myself to the 150km mark but now realize it was too huge of a bet. Only one hour left. Im drained but must go on. I know I wont reach my goal but know it will be an amazing performance and most of all, I’ll be the first handicapped rower to have set himself such a goal. The last kilometers are the hardest. I feel the rage in me and manage to focus. Im fighting myself. I get more precise as the pace grows. More and more I pull strongly and push hard on my legs. I finish the last meters at an average of 1.45mn for 500m. I row quietly for the very last minutes. Altogether, I have rowed over 141km in 24 hours. “ no matter the performance, desire generates passion, and passion makes us give the best of ourselves”

Pictures of the record