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The first Winter Team Relay League has now wrapped up. Overall, 409 teams from 16 different countries entered, more than we originally expected, and something that provides a strong base for next year, when we hope it really takes off. As ever, we're always keen to hear feedback, so if you've got any comments, criticisms or suggestions, pop them in an email and send them to editor@concept2.co.uk.

The series ended with a marathon for the eights and a half-marathon for the fours. There were some mighty impressive times here, perhaps most of all "Real Stockholm RF" from Sweden who finished in a time of 1:53:37.7, meaning they went under 1:21 for the entire 42,195 metres. Despite this, however, they were less than 20 seconds ahead of the second placed team, Denmark's "ASR – Det Onde Hold".

Full results for Round 5 are at http://www.concept2.co.uk/8gp/results.php while the final standings are at http://www.concept2.co.uk/8gp/standings.php. You can also see the top 3 in each category at http://www.concept2.co.uk/8gp/leaderboard.php .

You could never accuse Neil Rhodes of being short of tenacity or enthusiasm. Commonsense, now that's a different matter. As well as rowing a million metres in a week, Neil's also rowed all over the shop, in river deep and mountain high. Now he's set for possibly his most hard-core event yet. Here's what he's up to:

"I leave for Norway on the 10th of April, first stop, the town of Longyearbyen on the island of Spitzbergen. I will carry out my first row here. It will be interesting to see just how cold it is, can I carry out the row, in a normal 'all-in-one', outdoors? We'll see.

On the 13th we fly up to the Pole, for the race I am taking part in, the Red Moon North Pole Marathon. It's the classic Marathon distance of 26.2 miles, but on ice. The temperature will be around -30C, but wind-chill can take this down to -100. The entry form makes interesting reading:

"I understand that I will be on an active ice floe that is six to 12 feet thick on top of the Arctic Ocean, and that sudden cracks, pressure ridges and ocean currents can expose the ocean at any time. Participating in physical activities in the North Pole area may put me at risk of death, falling or being blown into the frigid waters and other perils, frigid conditions, being lost in the Arctic due to poor weather conditions, loss of communication, accident or illness.

"On the danger front, one of the main risks is polar bears. One guide said, 'To the polar bear, you're nothing more than vertical Gore-Tex seals'. He also said, 'He has immense power and speed, coupled with 100% focus and determination', but, at that point, I thought he was talking about Graham Benton! "I'll need a little something to warm me up, so I thought I'd take an erg, I mean, why not? Aren't they compulsory hand-baggage these days? The goal is to row a piece, thus setting a world record for the most Northerly row, ever carried out on an Indoor Rower, outdoors. Why? Because I'm never going to be fast, so I may as well pick the wacky challenges; at least I get to be first at something. "I love the concern of my fellow rowers, Anna Bailey, who's been a great friend recently and has helped with my mental strength, immediately said, 'Mmm, I wonder what the drag factor range will be?' Not one utterance of, 'take care', 'stay warm', 'have a flask of soup'. No just the important stuff, test the drag."

You can find out more about the Polar Marathon at http://www.npmarathon.com/

For an interview with Neil, shortly after he survived a life-threatening aneurysm: http://www.concept2.co.uk/news/news.php?story=neil_rhodes

So, you know, you *could* go to the North Pole and do a marathon, all the while trying to evade extras from a Fox's Glacier Mints ad, or, alternatively, you can do one in the comfort of your own home/leisure centre. Either's good. If the latter option appeals, then the fourth National Indoor Rowing Marathon Day takes place on Sunday April 17th, 2005, the same day as the London Marathon. As well as a marathon, you can also do the half-marathon, which at 21,097m should be within the reaches of most.

For more information and an entry form, visit: http://www.concept2.co.uk/marathon/

Also, while we're on the subject, all-round nice guy and president of the British IRC Sir Steve Redgrave will be running the Flora London Marathon again this year in order to raise money for victims of the tsunami. He's writing a regular column about his attempt for the BBC Sport website, and the latest dispatch can be found at http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/athletics/4327043.stm.

Tony Norton: "I'm new to Concept 2 and your newsletter. I want to measure my progress against the results I see you publish but I struggle to understand what the results mean. I have gathered that most races are 2000 metres and when I see times, I think this is the distance covered. I don't know the weight which qualifies for Lwt and Hwt. Is there anywhere I can look to get information on the classifications for competition or can you let me know what they are?"

The Indoor Rowing News has been running since 1999 and it's fair to say a) we haven't written a funny joke since the early parts of the 21st century and b) we almost certainly assume too much at times. So, next issue, we'll be running a glossary of all the basic terms we use, so if you're not yet sure how to tell your damper settings from your split times, your anaerobic threshold from your carbo-loading or your MHR from your HRR, this should be for you.

While we're on the subject. We're also trying to knock up an article on 'humorous' definitions, you know "Ergonaut – one who boldly rows where no-one has rowed before". That sort of thing. However, we can't think of enough terms to make it worthwhile, so we're throwing this open to everyone. As a starter, we're looking for a good word to define the men (it's always men, and they're always built like the Incredible Hulk on steroids) who jump on a machine, thrash around ineffectively at full whack, and then saunter off after two minutes looking pleased with themselves.

This seemed a good idea when we started writing the article, though we're not so sure now. Prevent us from looking silly by sending your definitions to editor@concept2.co.uk and we'll send a signed copy of Matthew Pinsent's autobiography to the best one.

If you've not been on the Concept 2 Shop recently, we've cleared a load more stuff into the Bargain Bin. Here you can find everything from Heart Rate Monitors to Digital Radios to Yoga Kits, all at prices of up to 50% off. At the moment, there are lots of Rudy Project Sunglasses all at discount prices available on a strictly limited basis.

The Bargain Bin is at http://www.concept2.co.uk/shop/bargain_bin.php while there's a page on just the Rudy Project stuff at http://www.concept.co.uk/shop/rudy_offer.php.

Tel's Tales is the column written by three-times Olympic rowing coach Terry O'Neill. If you've got a question or query for Tel, send it to terry@concept2.co.uk. If you don't write in, it means Terry has free rein to write what he wants, which is generally what he's been watching on TV. This week, it appears he's mostly been watching Channel 4:

"If like me, you have been following the exploits of Jamie Oliver in his efforts to improve the nutrition given to young children at school, you will have experienced very mixed emotions.

"A father of young children himself, he was shocked at a recent report that states unless something is done about the health of our youngsters, they will be the first generation to die before their parents. To any parent, dealing with the death of your child does not bear thinking about. It is bad enough should a child die as a result of an accident or some chronic illness, but to die through negligence is unforgivable. If we know why this generation faces the prospect of an early death, and we can do something about it but don't, then what else can you call it but negligence?

"Regular readers will know that we have been banging on for years about the physical condition of children. We have identified lack of exercise as one of the causes, but also recognise that fast foods and poor nutrition also play their part.

"There may well be complex social issues that have brought us to this state. They matter little now; what is important is what is to be done to turn this situation around. Jamie Oliver is high profile and has been able to get national TV and newspaper coverage for his school dinners scheme. I applaud his efforts wholeheartedly and wish him well on what appears to be a very steep uphill battle. It would be so easy for him to just look out for his own children rather than taking on the responsibility for all the kids in his area.

"You may well ask why such an important issue has only just got the prominence it deserves as the result of a young chef's concerns. Why hasn't this been a priority for local and national authorities? We have made some headway with our effort to get schools involved in exercise programmes because, as much as I applaud Jamie's efforts, nutrition is only half the problem and exercise levels also need to be addressed.

"The programmes we have been involved with, in getting machines into schools in Birmingham, Nottingham and now London, have been very successful. However, further progress with regard to government support has been put on hold because of the impending general election.

"What every right thinking person should do is to ask your local candidates where they stand on school dinners and increasing exercise in school. This is a serious and important issue and, more importantly, it is a matter on which something worthwhile can be achieved."

The 2004/05 race season is nearly dead! Long live the 2005/06 race season. Or something. Probably something. Anyway; there's going to be a change of format to the next race season, so we thought we'd tell you now, especially as it's a slow news fortnight.

After four years, we've decided to put the Grand Prix series to rest for the time being, while at the same time upgrading the Manchester race to the English IRC. The race season now has a pyramid structure. At the top, you've got the World IRC and the European Open, below that you've got the British IRC, below that you've got the Scottish, English, Welsh and Irish IRC and below those you've got all the regional races. So it probably looks more like a cake stand than a pyramid but you get the point. The following dates are (provisionally at least) confirmed:

20th November - British IRC (Birmingham) 3rd December - Concept 2 European Open (Copenhagen) 29th January - English IRC (Manchester) 5th February - Scottish IRC (Glasgow)

The following date is provisional:

3rd or 4th December - Welsh IRC (Cardiff)

The Irish and World IRC have still to be confirmed. The full race calendar can be seen at http://www.concept2.co.uk/racing/calendar_uk.php. If you want your event to appear on the calendar, make sure you email editor@concept2.co.uk.

ISP Senior School

Dave Cordery: "ISP Senior School, a small Special School in Kent, is holding a 50km team row for this year's Red Nose Day. All students from seven to 16 take part as well as the school staff. Last time out we raised £843. This year we hope to break the £1,000 mark. All participants were included in the rankings for 2003 and will be hoping to beat their previous times.

"P.S. If anyone is up for an Internet race, they can contact me at daibox@hotmail.com."

Jay Allen

On the 31st of March, Jay Allen, who has just qualified as a Concept 2 Master Instructor, will be attempting a 24-hour row in aid of Age Concern, Leukaemia and Heartlands Pre Operative Health Centre. The row will take place at Lakeside Fitness Centre in Birmingham and will consist of a 40- minute row every hour. Jay's hoping to raise over £5,000 pounds from the row, with all money raised being split evenly between the three charities.

For further enquiries, or to make a donation, you can contact Jay on 07929 199016.

The eighth annual Cornish IRC was held on Sunday 6th March at Phoenix Leisure Centre, Launceston with almost 50 competitors travelling from as far afield as Durham. Local support was also strong, with competitors from Launceston, St. Austell, Newquay, Falmouth and Hayle. The ages of the competitors ranged from 12 years to 65. The 2005 event stood out for having the highest number of female entries ever. The standard of all entries was especially high this year and many competitors achieved personal best times. The fastest time of the day was by Jon Goodall, of South Wales, who won the Men's Open Hwt in 6:24.7.

Full results can be found at http://www.concept2.co.uk/racing/regional.php