THE FINAL COUNTDOWN…

The last two days.

With just a couple more days to go now until the Tokyo Olympic games officially begin, Peter is now entering the final stages of his own challenge.

With less than 48 hours to go, Peter now has less than 100km to the finish.

Since he started in July 2017 he has rowed more than nine and a half million metres (9,514, 853m as of Wednesday morning) – all on a rowing machine.

Well on several rowing machines really.  In February he took ownership of another new Concept 2 model D rower after having used a 12 year-old Model C for most of his challenge.

“I did not actually need a new one” he said from his home near Newbury in Berkshire, “I just wanted to finish the last section with something shiny”.  

“However I was surprised at how good my old one had held up.  These things are built to last forever and between my wife, daughter and myself we have rowed more than 20 million metres on the old one alone. Apart from a few scratches it is still almost as good as new”.

Before the Covid pandemic Peter also rowed on various other Concept 2 “ergs” throughout Europe including, France, Czechia, Hungary, The Netherlands, Germany and Belgium.  He also took part in two “Erg Tour de Eire” journeys rowing in every county on the island of Ireland. 

“I met a whole load of really friendly people on the way, spreading the word about Tokyrow and what I was trying to achieve and everyone was so supportive.  From offering me special gym memberships in Brussels and Prague to Trinity College in Dublin trusting me enough to give me access to their rowing clubhouse even though everyone was away at the Irish Championships. Everyone has been so helpful and I have made some new genuine friends through this”.

He had hoped to row in every EU country before Tokyrow to make it a truly continent-wide challenge but when Covid hit, he had to cancel plans to visit the remainder and has been rowing in his garage in Woolton Hill Hampshire ever since.

“Although I shall be relieved to finish in a couple of days, I think my neighbours might be even more relieved when I do.  I have done a lot of my rowing late at night and I’m sure the whoosh-whoosh sound of the rower along with my music must have got to them at times.  My wife has had to (on more than one occasion) come out to let me know that the music (as well as my occasional singing along) has got too loud and to tone it down a bit”.

Peter finishes at 8pm Tokyo Time on Friday. 

You can keep updated with Peter’s progress on social media;  Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Strava and please feel free to contact, comment, join in (including a virtual row-along) by using the #TokyRow or #ObeseManRowing hashtags.