Consistency is everything in rowing. Progress isn’t measured in heroic performances – it’s built through daily effort, uninterrupted training blocks, and recovery that matches the work.
But nothing throws that off course faster than getting ill. Upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs, or the common cold) are among the most common threats to rowers’ training availability, especially during the winter or when travelling. They’re not serious, but they’re disruptive enough to set a crew back or throw off an individual’s rhythm in the lead-up to selection.
ColdZyme, a mouth spray developed by Swedish life science company Enzymatica, is designed to address this challenge, acting early at the first signs of illness.
Instead of engaging the immune system directly, ColdZyme forms a protective barrier at the back of the throat using a unique formulation of glycerol and cod trypsin. This barrier traps airborne viruses, impairs their ability to infect cells, and shields the throat lining from viral damage. Of most value to time-strapped rowers, ColdZyme offers a practical solution – two quick sprays every couple of hours help lower viral load before symptoms escalate.
In a double-blind, placebo-controlled study of endurance athletes and lab studies, ColdZyme showed strong results:
• URTI duration was significantly shorter (6.2 vs. 10.8 days)
• Symptom scores were reduced
• In vitro viral load fell by 94%
• Fewer training days were lost
The lab studies backed this up, showing that ColdZyme-treated airway cells were much less damaged by infection. According to the research team, cells that had been exposed to viruses but treated with ColdZyme looked nearly identical to healthy, uninfected cells.
Charlotte Hodgkins-Byrne is well-placed to testify to ColdZyme’s potential. A former GB international rower herself, she now works at Enzymatica, where she helps shape the product’s commercial vision. This includes supporting elite athletes and federations in understanding the benefits that ColdZyme can bring to a programme.
“I’ve seen firsthand how colds can derail a training block,” she explains. “When you’re pushing towards a major event, missing a few key sessions can make the difference between being prepared and not being in the mix.”
Charlotte has been helping introduce ColdZyme as part of a broader strategy to manage illness risk in elite environments.
ColdZyme is already being used by athletes across several high-performance sports. As Charlotte explains, “we now work with winter sport, biathlon, cross-country skiing, athletics, [and] hockey.”
These partnerships reflect ColdZyme’s growing presence in elite environments where consistent training and illness prevention are key. While the rowing integration is newer, its use in physically demanding, travel-heavy sports signals trust from national teams and performance programmes.
Athletes are using ColdZyme in targeted ways – before flights, during competitions, and when someone in the team goes down with a cold. Some are now carrying it as standard, the way they would a water bottle or recovery snack.
She points out that there is a psychological advantage too: “There’s something empowering about being able to take action the moment you feel a symptom. Rather than just hoping you won’t get ill, you have a tool that might stop it progressing.”
Charlotte adds: “What’s interesting is that it’s not just the staff driving this. Athletes are asking for it. They’re starting to see that if something helps protect their availability, it’s worth including.”
In elite sport, small margins matter. A five-year study of top-level athletes found that those who completed more than 80% of their planned training weeks were seven times more likely to hit their performance targets.
Charlotte is clear on what that means in practical terms: “At this level, being healthy is part of your job. If a tool helps you stay well and train fully, it’s going to help your performance. It’s that simple.”
ColdZyme isn’t a cure, and it’s not a replacement for good hygiene or smart recovery, but in an environment where illness is a real threat to performance, it offers something rare: a chance to act early.
Enzymatica is a partner of JRN.
Sources:
Raysmith, B. P., & Drew, M. K. (2016). Performance success or failure is influenced by weeks lost to injury and illness in elite Australian track and field athletes: A 5-year prospective study. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 19(10), 778–783. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2015.12.514)
