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The third annual 100,000m charity day took place at Coleshill Leisure Centre on Sunday the 4th of July 2004.

Two local teams took part, as well as an Indoor Rowing Team that consisted of members of the MAD Team IRC, Team Oarsome IRC and various members of the Concept 2 message board.

Here's a report by Jon Goodall from that Indoor Rowing Team: "This team was put together to raise money for Cancer Research UK following the tragic and very sudden death of Pete Marston's brother David Marston, on Thursday the 20th of May. Every competitor at Coleshill paid £5 each as well as online donations set up at www.justgiving.com/charity100k which people have donated to over the last six weeks.

This 100,000m saw a change to the traditional 10-person team, with a Large Team being put together to help lighten the load for all, and 10-12 stroke rotations being the preferred choice. 18 people took part in all, ranging in age from seven-year old Flora Buckley right through to people in their 50s. Flora amazed all by, not only taking part throughout the whole duration, but also managing a maximum pull of 2:32. Fastest females were Helen Buckley and Monica Sutton, peaking at 1:29s and 1:30s. The fastest males were Sam Jenkins and Jon Goodall, mostly pulling 1:08s and 1:09s.

"This was a chance for everyone to get their sprinting shoes on, with some hoping to improve the lowest split they could pull on the ergo. 12 of the 18 improved their maximum split!

"Below is the list of all 18 competitors who took part along with their lowest splits pulled.

• Helen Buckley - 1:29 (P.B)
• Monica Sutton - 1:29 (P.B)
• Nadine Jenkins - 1:31 (P.B)
• Helen Hall - 1:38 (P.B)
• Christine Buckley - 1:39 (P.B)
• Flora Buckley - 2:32 (P.B)

• Sam Jenkins - 1:08
• Jon Goodall - 1:09
• Alex Hall - 1:11
• Steve Hammonds - 1:11
• John O'Grady - 1:11
• Graham Parker - 1:11
• Lee Buckley - 1:11 (P.B)
• Nick Rockcliff - 1:13 (P.B)
• Dave Speed - 1:15 (P.B)
• Andy Burrows - 1:15 (P.B)
• Andrew Jones - 1:19 (P.B)
• Tony Buckley - 1:25 (P.B)

"The final time for the 100,000m was 5 hours 9 minutes 1.1 seconds, an average pace of 1:32.7. The final totals are still being counted, but it's believed that around £1,400 has been raised. Online donations are still available at http://www.justgiving.com/charity100k if you haven't yet donated and wish to do so.

"They say that tragedy brings people closer together. This event has shown how members of the Indoor Rowing community and the general public pulled all the stops out to raise as much money as possible for Cancer Research UK in the last 6 weeks.

"The Marston family and Cancer Research UK would like to thank everyone who has contributed to this event."

OK; well, there's a load of new stuff to tell you about the forthcoming race season, so we might as well jump straight in.

First off, entry forms for the 2004/05 British Grand Prix series are now available on-line at http://www.concept2.co.uk/gp/entry_forms.php. Well, most of them are; we haven't got the forms for the Manchester and Glasgow GPs, but they'll be added shortly.

Also: in a good news/bad news scenario. Bad news: it looks like the Manchester GP will be taking place on the same date as next year's World IRC as the latter has just been moved forward a week to February 13th. Good news: umm, well none really. Actually, the Concept 2 British Rowathlon series starts next month, and that's pretty aces.

For the uninitiated, a Rowathlon is like a Triathlon but it replaces the annoying swimming section with a far cooler and drier indoor rowing leg. This year's Triathlon series is a four race event; you can enter as many or as few as you want, but your best three scores will go towards an overall ranking table with the best men and women in each of the four senior categories winning an expenses paid trip to the Concept 2 European Open in Amsterdam. The first race in the series is in Castle Combe on the 15th of August. You can find out more at http://www.concept2.co.uk/rowathlon

Talking about the Concept 2 European Open (in Amsterdam) (on the 18th of December), you may be interested to hear it features a Corporate Challenge. Open to teams of employees of the same business, the event is a four-person 4x1,000m race. There is only one Open category, so the team can have any mixture of men or women. For more information, contact 0115 945 5522 or email info@concept2.co.uk. The European Open website is at http://www.concept2.co.uk/euro/

Tel's Tales is the question and answer column written by three-times Olympic rowing coach Terry O'Neill. If you've got a question you'd like to ask Terry, send an email to tels- tales@concept2.co.uk.

Geoff Love: "I am 57 years old and was diagnosed diabetic about a year ago and was told that my old lifestyle must cease, so I bought an Indoor Rower and followed the basic fitness programme (having not exercised over the last 25 years), then onto the weight management programme, and I am now 60 pounds lighter.

"I am amazed at the results and the by-product of boat pace, without being in distress once over the last year. According to my doctor, I still need to lose another 30 pounds, but the boredom of the long pieces in level 4 of the weight programme has beaten me, so I have swapped onto the racing programme and am enjoying it tremendously. Again, perhaps surprisingly as I use the heart rate monitor for pace guidance, I've had no real distress in undertaking it. Mind you, I have not as yet done any anaerobic level work.

"I can't help feeling that the combination use of Indoor Rower plus DYNO would suit me, but I'm unwilling to disturb a situation that is currently working without clear guidance. Do you have training programmes that integrate the use of the Rower with the DYNO?

"Also, I find it difficult to exercise without short-term goals. The idea of exercise for exercise's sake leaves me lacking in enthusiasm. Because I am diabetic, I now face a life-long 'life style change' of a low fat diet and exercise. Do I simply cycle the 26-week programmes? Or do you have any better ideas?"

Terry O'Neill: When people are very overweight, there is an additional problem in that they also tend to be very unfit. This restricts the type of training they can do to low intensity work. The only way you can develop the programme is by increasing the time and you are right, it can become mind-blowingly boring. Once you get fitter, and can start a training programme as opposed to an exercise routine, then a lot more variety can be added (and some pain). The thing is, you will still lose weight and possibly more than on the weight loss programme. With a higher intensity programme, the rate at which you burn calories increases, so you can burn more in less time.

Also, as your fitness improves, you benefit from something called training overrun. What this means is that your metabolism remains high for a period after intensive exercise, and during this period you are still burning calories.

You can start off by following the 26-week programme, but you might find inspiration from the message board [http://www.concept2.co.uk/forum]. Here, there are a lot of people in the same boat as you, and you can get support and ideas to vary the training from each other.

As for the DYNO, there is not a programme that integrates training on the two machines. Put very simply, the Rower can be considered an aerobic machine while the DYNO is a strength-training machine. Of course, you can do both on either machine, but the best way to use them is as I stated.

In your case, where you have made tremendous progress in weight management and are now considering competitions, it could be useful to combine training on both machines. The difference now is that whereas in weight management it is all about calorie burning, competition is about performance. Once you get into competitions you are looking not at weight loss but improvement in times.

With aerobic training, you basically become more efficient at using your available strength. Aerobic training will yield strength gains, but on the DYNO these strength gains can be achieved more efficiently.

With more strength, you can raise your base level of aerobic training and so, with a combination of strength and aerobic exercise, you get into a positive upward spiral leading to better performance.

In the DYNO Training Guide, there is all the information on the DYNO that you need, including some strength workouts. These don't tend to take too long and so can be done in addition to the aerobic sessions two to three times a week.

DYNO Training Guide: http://www.concept2.co.uk/dyno/guide.php

Ever since a nasty incident involving a pocketful of pork products and two grey squirrels, the Indoor Rowing News has rarely left the house. Which, embarrassingly, means that our knowledge of Jersey extends little beyond the knowledge that it's an island where suave detectives arrest diamond smugglers while riding a beige-coloured cow. According to our Big Book Of Offensive Clichés anyway.

However, that's all set to change because, from the 24th of July, Jersey will boast it's own Indoor Rowing Club. Run by Ally Meredith, the club is hoping to attract as many islanders as possible. Their first event will be a 1,000m competition on August 22nd and, although this is aimed at attracting new members, Ally says that rowers from the mainland are more than welcome to take part. They're also thinking of organising an Open 2,000m race sometime next year, an event that promises to be an excellent addition to the race calendar.

For more information, you can contact Ally on jerseyirc@hotmail.com

On June 30, four British oarsmen left St John's, Newfoundland in their high-tech Pink Lady boat to try and row their way into the ocean rowing record books and become the first unassisted trans-Atlantic rowers to arrive on the UK mainland.

The team, comprising skipper Mark Stubbs, 40, from Poole in Dorset, Jonathan Gornall, 48, from London, Pete Bray, 48, from South Wales and John Wills, 33 from Surrey will cross 2,100 miles of cold and unpredictable ocean, facing dangers such as icebergs and treacherous storms.

The four, in their shocking pink high-tech Pink Lady rowing boat (after their sponsor Pink Lady apples) are confident they will smash the current 55-day west-east Atlantic speed record by at least 10 days.

The crew has already faced stormy weather during their first weekend that made traversing the notorious Grand Banks even more difficult.

The area is a source of livelihood for generations of fishermen, but its vicious ferocity is renowned worldwide and its weather's unpredictability was vividly brought to life in the film The Perfect Storm. Not only does thick fog form quickly in these parts, as the warm southerly air meets the cold Arctic waters driven down from Labrador, but vicious storms can also appear out of nowhere. In no time whatsoever, waves can reach up to 50 feet in height, with only seconds between each peak.

As if this were not enough of a challenge, the area off the coast of Newfoundland is also littered with icebergs that slowly drift down from Greenland.

Preparation for the row was intensive with the crew exercising daily to make sure that they were all in peak mental and physical condition.

Pink Lady Shore Team Manager, Bob Barnsley said: "Years of preparation went into the planning of this row. The men had to make sure that they were in peak physical condition to face the arduous conditions at sea. Concept 2 rowing machines helped them to gain the strength and endurance they need for the crossing and we are very grateful for Concept 2's support."

The crew is using advanced, custom-made oars specially created by Oarsport, Concept 2's sister company, to ensure longevity and the quickest possible row. The Pink Lady has been developed as the world's most sophisticated ocean vessel of its kind. Tough, yet light and aerodynamic, she is designed to cut quickly and cleanly through the waves, rough or smooth. She has a global positioning satellite system and a weather router, to help avoid the worst of the storms.

The crew's training diet included a plentiful supply of Pink Lady apples of course and, for the crossing itself, because of the weight, the apples have been freeze-dried. The crew reports they are delicious - especially sprinkled on the morning porridge. They are taking fresh Pink Lady apples too as a special treat.

The Pink Lady Atlantic First rowers are hoping to raise £50,000 for the British Heart Foundation. If you want to make a donation, you can visit http://www.bhf.org.uk/pinklady

For more on the Pink Lady challenge, along with regular updates, visit www.gopinklady.com

Carlton-le-Willows School in Gedling, Nottingham broke the 100,000m Team Mixed J18 record recently, just nine months after the school took up the sport. Chasing Wycliffe College's time of 6:15:16, they were nearly three-quarters of an hour inside that mark, setting a new record time of 5:37:39. English teacher and squad mentor Roger Jeffries said: "Everyone is absolutely exhausted. We had to nurse them through the last 6,000m because they were so drained. Even I'm exhausted, emotionally and mentally, but I'm extremely proud of them."

For more team records: http://www.concept2.co.uk/racing/records_team.php

Last weekend saw two races take place over the Mile distance. First off, on the Saturday, was the Evesham Golden Mile IRC at Evesham Rowing Club. Now in its third year, the day was planned to coincide with the River Festival in Evesham, which provided an additional interest for competitors, especially those staying overnight for the frolics and fireworks.

A day of excellent rowing saw four British records fall, as Carol Dunbar (30-39 Lwt), Andy Sangster (40-49 Hwt), Philip Price (70-79 Lwt) and Denis Melody (80-89 Lwt) all set new bests. The fastest man of the day was Richard Blagrove, of MAD Team IRC, who actually raced twice, winning the 19-29 Hwt race in 4:50.1 before later winning the U23 Hwt in 4:53.2. The fastest Woman was Megan Brown of Old Wrecks IRC, who won the 30-39 Hwt race with 5:50.2.

Full results and race reports can be found at http://www.concept2.co.uk/racing/result.php?race=evesham2004

The next day saw the inaugural "Do The Mile @ Warwick Boat Club". Despite some miserable and unseasonable weather, 41 people turned up to pull a mile on one of the club's rowing machines, all in aid of BBC Sport Relief. There were some fantastic performances with the 19-29 category being the most popular.

Leo Smith of Warwick Boat Club was the overall winner, both in his category and in the whole event, rowing home in 5:04.0. In the women's events, the winner was also in the 19-29 category, with Katherine Yalden, also from Warwick, covering the distance in 6:02.9.

The event, organised by James Lee from the club's junior section, raised around £350 for the charity.

Results are at http://www.concept2.co.uk/racing/result.php?race=warwick2004

Last newsletter, Terry O'Neill wrote about the problems he perceived in the current British Heavyweight Men's rowing squad. He attracted a number of responses, with Judith Howell's letter being representative of the mailbag:

Judith Howell: "I do normally enjoy Tel's Tales, but perhaps he could be persuaded to check his facts prior to publication. I was on the 1/4 mile signal on Sunday 4th July and distinctly saw the GB coxless 4 go past, in the lead. OK it wasn't the original line-up, but the boat was certainly not withdrawn and Ed Coode is a superb rower who only just missed out on a place in that boat in the first place. The men's pair also did really well considering that their opposition are the top of the world, and the boys had only been rowing together in that combination for a few hours.

"I'm also of the opinion that it is very unhelpful to write disparaging articles about the ability of the squad to medal at Athens, when we still have the altitude training camp to come, plus the emphasis will now be switching over to speed work. I was truly impressed by the quality of the women's quad and the UL/Thames composite that were racing so have high hopes of the squad for the future as well.

"Perhaps Rog could be persuaded to produce a cartoon of Tel eating his hat on 23rd August this year?"

Terry O'Neill: Thank you for your email and I mean that. It's good to know that there are people out there reading the stuff and getting passionate.

I can assure you that my info was solid gold. This was the course of events: after Lucerne, Partridge was thought to have a rib injury and Williams was ill. Neither of those was considered a long-term problem, and so it was felt the best thing to do was withdraw from Henley and allow the boys to recover. It then transpires that Partridge does not have a rib injury but a collapsed lung and so was out for the rest of the season. This meant that a permanent replacement had to be found and so Ed was moved into the 4-. It also meant that, in the new line up, the first race of the unit would be the Olympic heats. A race before the Olympics now became important and, as they had not officially withdrawn, they raced.

Ed is a superb oarsman and a personal friend, but he's only going to be able to row in one boat, and his move to the 4- must inevitably have a detrimental affect on the 8. The most disappointing news at the weekend was that Partridge will be out for the Olympics and this is a great loss to the team.

If you read the article again, I think that you may be the one eating their hat. With the exception of the fact that the four were withdrawn and then reinstated, there was nothing I wrote that was either inaccurate or disparaging. I am, and always have been, a supporter of GB rowing. I have been to every World Cup regatta this year and watched every race involving the team. I gave full credit to the woman's team and said that, at the moment, they represent the best chance of a gold medal in Athens. I said that the men's pair were coming to grips with the event and were a creditable fourth place in Lucerne.

I also said that the team was an outstanding group of athletes who can beat anyone on their day and wished them good luck in Athens. Also I drew a parallel with the progress of the 8 to that of our Olympic champion 8, illustrating that the year prior to the Olympics the Sydney 8 were second and the current 8 were third, so they are on course for a medal. I also said that the fact that the 4 were 3rd in Lucerne was no reason to panic because the Redgrave 4 was 4th in the corresponding regatta.

As enthusiastic as I am about GB rowing, I am not an ostrich. You would need some strong rose- tinted spectacles to not be concerned at the performance of the men's team through this year's World Cup competition. If you are pinning your hopes on altitude, then I have some bad news for you: there is no evidence to support the view that training at altitude yields any benefit for competition at sea level, but that's another argument.

There are, however, still 40 days to go, but they will need a considerable change of luck to that which has dogged them all year if they are going to pull it around.

Although it might not be considered cricket to have a pop at sports stars and their progress, I think we need to be wary of Emperor's New Clothes syndrome, otherwise people who are crap can get away with it ad infinitum because no one has the balls to call it as it is; a case in point is the GB Men's lightweights.

The risk of not dealing with issues is this: rowing now receives substantial funding to support international competitions. This funding is based on performance; if the performance does not meet expectations then the funding is cut for the next Olympic cycle. So what about the kids of the future if that happens?

Don't be too generous; our rowers and coaches are paid professionals and as such must be accountable. They are not enthusiastic amateurs and it's not Chariots of Fire.

We are now having to come to grips with life after Redgrave, and this is a serious comment. I don't think people really know just how great this bloke was and his influence not just on the crews he rowed in but on the whole team. On the coaching side we have not replaced the skills and experience of Mike Spracklen and Harry Mahon.

Redgrave retired, Harry died but Spracklen was sacked after the most successful era of GB Women's rowing ever. He has since gone on to push Canada ahead of us.

Real supporters of the sport will want to weed out bad practice and secure its long-term health, which will only come about with democratic, open debate.