Carnegie Currents: January/February 1999 Vol. XIII, No. 1
The Birth of Concept II and the C.R.A.S.H.-B.s
Pete and Dick Dreissigacker started Concept II in 1976, producing the first Concept II Rower in 1981. By 1986, the machine had been adopted by rowers around the world, allowing Concept II to publish World Rankings for 2000-meter results*, based on 10-year age increments and two weight classes.
In 1982 a group of recent U.S. Olympic and World Team athletes who were looking for a way to spice up their winter training started an indoor racing program. Calling themselves the Charles River All-Star Has-Beens, the first year’s C.R.A.S.H.-B. Sprints boasted six Concept II Rowers and 90 racers. Seventeen years later this race has evolved into the "World Indoor Rowing Championships" and includes nearly 2000 participants from around the world. It is just one of 80+ races held in more than 17 countries with the World Ranking now including more than 11,000 names from more than 30 different countries.
*The distance was originally five miles. This was later shortened to 2500 meters and shortened again in 1996 to 2000 meters to reflect distances for collegiate and international on-the-water racing.
Concept II World Records for 2000 Meters
(as of March 1, 1998)
| Age/Weight | Women | Men |
| 13-18 H | 6:37.9 | 5:48.8 |
| 13-18 L | 7:17.7 | 6:16.1 |
| 19-29 H | 6:34.5 | 5:39.5 |
| 19-29 L | 7:05.3 | 6:03.2 |
| 30-39 H | 6:35.7 | 5:43.2 |
| 30-39 L | 7:05.9 | 6:13.9 |
| 40-49 H | 6:51.6 | 5:52.0 |
| 40-49 L | 7:25.3 | 6:26.5 |
| 50-59 H | 7:17.7 | 6:07.7 |
| 50-59 L | 7:49.3 | 6:37.7 |
| 60-69 H | 8:11.6 | 6:39.3 |
| 60-69 L | 8:26.5 | 6:50.9 |
| 70-79 H | 9:13.9 | 7:12.2 |
| 70-79L | 9:28.1 | 7:28.9 |
| 80-89 H | 10:27.3 | 8:43.2 |
| 80-89 L | 11:14.0 | 8:29.6 |
| 90-99 | — | 11:52.1 |
H = Heavyweight; L = Lightweight (135 lbs or less for women, 165 lbs or less for men)
Visit www.concept2.com for more information about ergometers, erg racing and records.