Jan Seeley, Guest Blog Writer

Half of the joy of being co-director of the Christie Clinic Illinois Marathon Race Weekend is dreaming up engaging new elements to add our annual event. These can be major additions—like the new Green Street Mile on April 23. How cool will it be for six different waves of milers as they race down Green Street under the lights, the sidewalks crammed with cheering students? Or, they can be fun new twists that add some sizzle to the weekend.

One of our favorite additions this year is the Row & Run competition with Orangetheory Fitness. Here’s the scoop.

Row & Run for Augie’s Quest

We “borrowed” the idea for the Row & Run from another kind of running event known as Pump and Run in which entrants have an opportunity to test their strength and, based on how they perform, they reduce their finish time to be eligible for bonus awards. The strength portion is typically a bench press. The weight is determined by body weight, age, and gender, and depending on the number of bench presses completed, time is subtracted from your finishing time.

When Orangetheory Fitness approached us about being a sponsor this year, we seized on the opportunity to put our own “spin” on the Pump and Run concept and came up with the Row & Run, since rowing on a WaterRower is a main component of the Orangetheory Fitness workout.

Here’s how Row & Run will work. Orangetheory Fitness will have a double booth at our health and fitness expo on April 23 and 24. They will have WaterRowers and heavy “slam” balls.

Each Row & Run participant will complete two feats: three minutes of rowing and one minute of ab rotations with a slam ball. Based on your “scores” on the WaterRower and slam ball, your finish time in the 5K, 10K, half marathon, or marathon will be lowered and you compete against other participants in the competition to win special Row & Run prizes (awarded after race weekend), not official AG awards, according to this schedule:

For every 100 meters rowed in three minutes, your finish time would be lowered as shown:

• if you’re in the 5K: 10 seconds per 100 meters rowed
• if you’re in the 10K: 20 seconds per 100 meters rowed
• if you’re in the half marathon: 30 seconds per 100 meters rowed
• if you’re in the marathon: one minute per 100 meters rowed

As an example, if I WaterRow 600 meters in three minutes, my marathon finish time would be lowered by six minutes, my half marathon time would be lowered by three minutes, my 10K time would be lowered by two minutes, and my 5K time would be lowered by one minute.

For the slam ball feat, complete as many ab rotations as possible in one minute. For every one completed, your finish time will be lowered as shown:

• if you’re in the 5K: 1 second for every rotation completed
• if you’re in the 10K: 2 seconds for every rotation completed
• if you’re in the half marathon: 3 seconds for every rotation completed
• if you’re in the marathon: 5 seconds for every rotation completed

Your race finish time will be lowered by your combined performance in the two feats and you’ll be eligible for first-, second-, and third-place Row & Run prizes in these categories.

• open male and female
• masters male and female
• grand masters male and female

The cost to participate in the Row & Run competition is $8.00, and, best of all, all the proceeds will be donated to Augie’s Quest to Cure ALS.

Sign up for our Row & Run competition ahead of the race expo through our race merchandise store—or register at the Orangetheory Fitness booth at the expo.

Christie Clinic Illinois Marathon race co-director Jan Seeley has been running for 40+ years and is currently training for the Grandma’s Half Marathon in Duluth, Minnesota, in June.