BOSTON -- The C.R.A.S.H.-B. Sprints, widely known as the World Indoor Rowing Championships, will return to Boston University's Agannis Arena on Sunday, Feb. 17, 2013.
Each year the event draws over 2,300 competitors from around the world, including current and past Olympians, World Record holders, high school and collegiate athletes, Cross-Fitters and exercise enthusiasts alike. Competitors will race against the clock on ninety-six Concept2 Indoor Rowing machines (Ergometers) over a distance of 2000 meters, which amounts to roughly six to eight minutes of pure athletic intensity.
This year's event will feature athletes from a variety of training backgrounds. 2012 US Olympians Bronze medalist Megan Kalmoe (Women's Quadruple Scull) and Gold medalist Meghan Musnicki (Women's Eight) will be featured in the Open Women's event on Sunday afternoon. Other notable racers include the US Under-23 Lightweight Men's Double tandem competing against each other in the elite Lightweight Men's division, Nick Trojan from Long Beach, California, and Austin Meyer currently an undergraduate at Harvard University. Last year's winner in the Open Men's event, Juan Carlos Cabrera Pérez from Mexico will be returning to defend his Hammer, the irreverent yet highly coveted trophy handed out to the winners of this unique event. Local favorite from Riverside Boat Club, Sarah Schwegman, who finished second in the elite Lightweight Women's event is returning as well and is sure to be looking for a slightly better result this year.
In addition to the thousands of able-bodied competitors, this year's event will feature nearly 100 adaptive competitors. Adaptive events were added to the program in 2009 and are raced over a distance of 1000m. These events include Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) and the three Paralympic classifications: Legs-Trunk-Arms, Trunk-Arms, and Arms-Shoulders.
This year the adaptive entries for the C.R.A.S.H.-B. Sprints include competitors from Poland, Latvia, Great Britain, Australia, Canada, Brazil, and Germany. There are a number of current world record holders competing; including Caroline MacDonald from the GBR, Anke Molkethin of Germany, Eric McDaniel, Jr, from Austin, Texas, Syd Lea from Taneytown, Maryland, Paul Hurley, from Arlington, VA, and local Bostonian and current FES world record holder Fred Baker. Community Rowing, Inc. located on the Charles River in Newton, will field its biggest adaptive team this year, with 15 rowers entered.
The C.R.A.S.H.-B. Sprints originated in 1982 when a group of Boston rowers, many of whom were members of the United States National and Olympic Rowing teams training out of Harvard University's Newell Boathouse, named themselves the "Charles River All-Star Has-Beens" and organized the first indoor meet of its kind. Today, the C.R.A.S.H.-B. Sprints are recognized as the premier indoor rowing regatta in the world.
Who: Over 2,200 athletes and 200 volunteers
What: C.R.A.S.H.-B. World Indoor Rowing Championships
When: Sunday, February 17th, 2013, 9am-5pm
Where: Agganis Arena on the Boston University campus, Admission is free to the public.
How does it work: Rowers compete for the fastest times in their gender, age, and weight class over a set 2,000 meter distance (1,000 meters for adaptive rowers).