Image Credit: World Rowing
After a four-year hiatus, the English Indoor Rowing Championships (EIRCs) are back. This year, the event joins forces with the Rainhill Trials, a functional fitness competition, in what looks to be a smart move to broaden the sport’s appeal and bring rowing to a broader audience.
Three disciplines are available: a 500m sprint, the 2km test and a 3000m relay. With categories spanning all age groups, the EIRCs are shaping up to be one of the most inclusive events on the calendar.
Unlike Henley Royal Regatta, where lineups are meticulously dissected, this event’s competitors appear more mysterious. Here are a few standout names across the age groups who are worth keeping an eye on:
19 – 29 Men: Loïc Schalbetter
A name that needs no introduction in the indoor scene. Schalbetter is a double World Rowing Indoor Champion and current 100m World Record holder. He’s entered the 500m and 2km, and if past performances are anything to go by, he’ll be setting the pace – and possibly the standard.
30 – 39 Men: Peter Dixon
Dixon knows his way around the erg. At last year’s British Indoor Rowing Championships, he laid down a solid 6:21.8 over 2km. In the lead-up to this weekend, he’s hinted at chasing a sub-6:20, and with his training updates on social media, he’s dialled in. Expect him to be in the mix when the flywheels start spinning.
40 – 49 Men: Anthony Hooton
A relative newcomer to rowing, Hooton only picked up the sport last year. He completed a marathon row for the British Heart Foundation in March of this year and recently clocked 6:38.2 over the 2km distance. This should put him in the mix to take a win in his category.
50 – 59 Men: Adrian Peel
Peel is no stranger to the erg. He has set a GB Indoor Record for the fastest tandem 100km row, and he’s also competed at the British Rowing Indoor Champs, where he laid down a 6:32.9 over 2km. Experience, endurance, and a serious engine make him one to watch.
