Craig Turner Man Of Steel.. Erg Marathon Finisher

On Friday 22nd March at 1100, it was sadly announced that the 2013 edition of the Head of the River Race in London. This is that most gruelling of races on the tideway stretch of the River Thames in central London, where around 420 crews from all around the world take on the 4.25 mile (6.8 km) championship course from Mortlake to Putney that is famously rowed every year when Oxford and Cambridge contest The Boat Race, in the opposite direction.

For many, this meant an early start to the lash along the river (cough, members of our alumni club, Plesiosaur Boat Club!!). For one Loughborough lightweight, Craig Turner, this purely meant an opportunity for another challenge, to row a marathon on the rowing machine!

Craig, 22 year old, said, "I carb loaded and obviously I've got to be lightweight for BUCS. So I thought, you know what, I'll put this energy to good use and do a marathon!" Described as an "absolute nutter" by his crew mates, the gutsy ginger finished all 42195 metres in an incredible time of 2 hours 44 minutes 19.2 seconds - for those of you who like numbers that's a average pace of 1:56.8 /500m or power output of 219.7 Watts.

This is a massive achievement, especially considering Craig did no specialised training for the event. He has really set the bar here for other club members!

By PIPPA WHITTAKER