Concept2 Master Instructor Chris Brett was recently part of a team who managed to set a new world record, beating some of the strongest athletes in the UK.

Anyone who believes that Concept2 indoor rowing machines are just used within the gym couldn't be more wrong.

A whole sport has developed around the equipment, with athletes all over the country competing to beat their personal bests, as well as British and world records.

Concept 2 master instructor Chris Brett is one of these. He was part of a team of five from Royce's Gym which recently set a new world record for a marathon on an indoor rowing machine.

The group included former indoor rowing world champion Chris Rushton, Gary Scott, Graham Thomas and Stuart Honor, who Chris describes as a "phenomenal athlete".

However, as the Carnegie Rowing Challenge was in aid of charity the record was slightly different.

"It's almost really the first time that the specific event has been done but if you look at the time we did it in it is very favourably comparable with other similar events," he explained.

The team was competing against players from some of the best rugby teams in the country, but still finished the challenge over half an hour before any of their opponents. Although Chris maintains he was the slowest of the group, it was clearly a team effort which enabled Royce's Gym to record such a fast time.

And it was through the Royce's Gym team that Chris first became involved in setting records on the indoor rowing machine.

At one point in time Chris spent around 30 hours each week logging the hours on the indoor rowing machine when he was a member of the Notts County Rowing association.

Despite never quite making it to the Great British team, it was reaching this high level which meant Royce's Gym asked him to take part in a record they were trying to break, a record which was previously set by a team including Olympic champions Steve Redgrave, James Cracknell and Matthew Pincent.

"I obviously took the opportunity because it was a great honour and that record was successful. We beat the world record held by the British team by quite a lot," *Chris explains. "That was way back in 2002."*

However, not content with setting the record once, Chris was part of the Mad team who set the record again in 2004, which is still unbeaten.

Since then Chris has started working as a Concept 2 master instructor, advising people about the correct technique to use on the indoor rowing machine and teaching gym instructors how to hold their own classes.

So what is it which makes these teams so fast on the indoor rowing machine?

*"Royce and Mad have perfected the art of relay racing and it is very optimised to do short sprints and very slick changeovers, so you don't really lose any speed when you change over," *Chris says.

As for the future, the Mad team, so called because they take up mad challenges, are planning on defending their record on foreign soil.

The team holds the fastest time for the five-man relay over a distance of 100,000 metres. However, they have competition in the form of a team stationed at an army barracks in Metz, France.

*"We set a mixed record in 2008 and the French team had a crack at the record but by the time they readjusted the record we had already beaten it. So they've challenged us and invited us over to the base to do a head-to-head challenge, so it will almost be Great Britain against France," *Chris explains.

While the challenge isn't due to take place until December, Mad are already thinking about the team they need to field.

"They have a very strong team, so we're trying to get a very strong team with the best members of Mad to go out there," says Chris.

However, with people like Graham Benton on side, who Chris insists is "widely regarded as the best indoor rower in Britain", the team are pretty confident on the outcome.

"The record is around about four-and-a-half hours but we know if we get out best team together we will absolutely smash that."