Concept2 Holiday Challenge Raises $27,944 To Help Feed Those In Need

FasterSkier · January 15, 2010

Participants in Concept2’s 10^th Annual Holiday Challenge not only rowed or skied thousands of meters during the holiday season, they raised over $27,000 for healthy food organizations while doing it.

Every year, Concept2, the leading manufacturer of rowing machines, hosts a Holiday Challenge, asking its customers worldwide to row either 100K or 200K between Thanksgiving and Christmas. This year, Concept2 invited skiers to join the Challenge by logging their Concept2 SkiErg meters. The new SkiErg is an ergometer and training tool that replicates the motions of Nordic skiing.

Over 11,000 individuals rowed or skied their way to fitness this year while helping to put food on the table for struggling families by supporting organizations whose mission it is to make sure our food is healthy, sustainable and that no one goes hungry. A total of 1,200,230,946 meters were completed.

For every person who completed 100K during the challenge, Concept2 donated $.02 for every kilometer (1000 meters) to one of the following organizations: Oxfam International (oxfam.org), Slow Food USA (slowfoodusa.org), Feeding America (feedingamerica.org) and The Center for an Agricultural Economy (hardwickagriculture.org). For each kilometer beyond 100K, Concept2 donated an additional $.04.

Participants entered their meters into Concept2’s Online Logbook — a tool that allowed participants to track their meters and see the donations accumulate. Throughout the year, rowers can use the Concept2 Online Logbook to monitor their progress, rank their best workouts, and interact in a virtual community.

“The Holiday Challenge helps our customers get a head start on their New Year’s fitness resolutions,” said Concept2’s Meredith Haff. “Concept2 is dedicated to helping out the communities in which we row and ski, and this challenge offers our customers a unique way to contribute their workouts towards good causes.”

Concept2 extends its thanks to all of this year’s Holiday Challenge participants for helping to make this group effort such a success.

Concept2 was founded by Dick and Peter Dreissigacker in 1976. Fresh from Olympic training, the two brothers designed and manufactured carbon fiber racing oars, then went on to create the world’s first air-resistance indoor rower. The SkiErg, launched in 2009, builds upon Concept2’s years of experience in designing and manufacturing high-performance training equipment. For more information about Concept2, visit concept2.com.