Edinburgh rower kicks off boat club’s 175th year with 24 hour challenge and world record attempt

While many of us may be looking forward to a quiet January 2, one member of St Andrew Boat Club will be braving the cold to take on an epic challenge to kick off the club’s 175th year.

Tom Duke will row for 24 hours to raise money for St Andrew Boat Club

Tom Duke, 52, admitted he ‘is not a stranger to testing himself’ and in 2018 he rowed for Scotland at 49-years-old - “the oldest person on the team by about 30 years”, he said.

Not even a week into the new year he will attempt to beat a world record for his age and weight category, rowing more than 274km which is the current record, in 24 hours on a rowing machine, roughly the distance from Edinburgh to the Highlands, to raise money towards the club’s new boat house in the Meggetland area of the Capital.

“I’ve been rowing and coaching for a long time and it’s a great programme and something I really believe in,” Tom said, “Especially for kids, rowing can be really transformative and it can help them learn who they are and build confidence.

“We’re looking to build a new boathouse and it’s a big deal for us. We’ll have training facilities that we’ve not had before. We’re entirely volunteer-led and particularly this year we’ve been strained so I was starting to look at things to do to make the new boathouse a reality.”

Starting at midday, Tom will row for 24 hours on the erg which he hopes will be set up at the boat house so people can visit and cheer him on.

It is estimated that during the feat he will burn 12,000 calories.

Throughout the challenge, dedicated members of the club have opted to come down to the boat house to keep Tom company throughout.

“In terms of prep, I’ve just been cranking out the miles. During the summer when the weather was nicer I was out in my garden but I’m now rowing in my garage,” he said, “It is a complete unknown to me this, competitive rowing is generally quite fast and normally a race lasts around seven minutes, I’ve never done anything like this before so I’ve no idea what is going to be like.

“I’m in my early fifties so who knows how I’ll hold together but hopefully we’ll still raise some money.”

For those who aren’t able to visit the boat house, the club plan to stream the challenge on their social media channels.

Tom added: “If people want to join, or come and give it a go we’re an open club. I think rowing has a bit of a reputation of being a posh person’s sport, but our motto is ‘rowing for all’ and we’re maybe a little bit different to other clubs, but it is a fantastic community and we welcome people of any age, from beginners to more experienced rowers.”

Those interested in trying out rowing can find out more information on the St Andrew Boat Club website and anyone wishing to donate can do so on Tom’s Virgin Money Giving page.

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