Is that love in the air…? Er, no…it’s sweat. Sunday morning, 2/5/17, found us at the annual Valentine’s Day Massacre in Pelham, NY—a 2K sprint indoor rowing event that Jean had no business participating in but did anyway. (The name is impossible to resist!)  

Of course, lots of real rowers were out to “kill it.” Including Michael and Chris Ives, founders of Engine Room rowing in NYC, where Jean takes classes sometimes. The bros did exactly that, with 2K times of 7:07.5 and 6:29.8, respectively. Click for video:

Chris Ives of NYC’s Engine Room

We can’t figure out why the “trophies” are hammers. Unless it’s the old, Q: “Hey, friend, why are you hitting yerself in the head with that hammer?” A: “Because it feels so good when I stop!” Yeah, that’s gotta be it.

By employing her usual wily strategy of being one of only two women in it, Jean finished second in the lightweight division of her class (a gender/age-group thing) at 9:08.4. Disappointed at not finishing under 9 minutes, but delighted to finish. Period.

“Yay, stash the defibrillator!” Jean hi-fives Michael, who mercifully coached her through the last 300 meters; coxswain Alex cheers

The real win, however, was befriending Tara O., the first-place finisher at 7:54.8, who also happens to be a world champion, and persuading her to guest-blog here soon on 2G3K!

Perhaps she’ll even explain the whole hammer thing. (Don’t make her mad!) Stay tuned… 🙂 🙂
row2k photos courtesy of Chris Mare