08-19-2008, 03:59 AM
Quote:How about the crew/rowing race?
I spent a summer or two doing some rowing in the Thousand Islands in my youth, and I really have to say that it was by far the most physically demanding sport I have ever done. We would wake up at sunrise, run a few miles, do an hour or two of work in the gym, row for a few hours, and return to the gym for another workout. I ate a huge dinner and went to bed early - only to wake up the next day and do it all over again.
It was all worth it. Rowing in arguably the most scenic freshwater area in the world was awesome.
My favourite memory was when we were swapping out rowers in the middle of the St. Lawrence River with the help of an aluminum motorboat. Someone slipped on the wet varnished frame of the racing scull. His foot went through the thin shell of the boat and a huge 8' long gap opened up. The boat filled with water and we all had to swim to shore. It was about a 1/2 mile swim and we had to pause and tread water for a bit to allow a cargo ship to pass by.
Those Olympic rowers are hardcore.