East Lothian man becomes world champion after marathon row for NHS

An East Lothian man has become a world champion after rowing a marathon distance to raise money for the NHS.

Neil Flockhart, 37, completed 26.2 miles on his indoor rowing machine with a faster time than anyone else in the world using the same equipment this year.

His time of two hours, 27 minutes and 36 seconds is also just three seconds longer than the all-time British record with the Concept 2 machine, set by Graham Benton in 2012.

Mr Flockhart, a keen amateur athlete from Longniddry, was not aiming to top the table as it was the first time he had rowed further than a half marathon on the machine.

He was inspired to take on the challenge as part of endurance cyclist Mark Beaumont’s ‘Ride Around the World in a Day’ fundraising campaign, in which people were encourage to run or cycle distances that would combine to equal the circumference of the Earth, and donate £1 for each mile completed.

All money raised with go to NHS Charities Together.

“At first I was just delighted to complete the marathon distance for the first time, but then I saw my time was the best in the world and so close to the British record. That felt very special,” Mr Flockhart said.

“The longest I’d been on a rowing machine was a half marathon so I was trying to pace myself to be sure I had enough in the tank to finish the course. But half way through I felt good, so decided to really push on.

“Most people would spent 15/20 mins as part of a gym exercise routine, so you can imagine after 42,192me was pretty well done it. But I got a huge lift when I saw my time.”

Mr Flockhart now plans to improve his time and beat the British record by the end of the year.

A rope access technician, Mr Flockhart is a keen athlete and won Scotland’s first Tough Mudder in 2012.

He also won the Coast to Coast challenge in the same year – a 105-mile running, cycling and kayaking race from Nairn to Glencoe.

He finished third in the 2000m at the 2018 Scottish indoor rowing championships.

Mr Flockhart completed his epic journey in his spare room, comparing his time to others in the Concept Rowing

online community.

He added: “For me it was a personal challenge. If I have a target to beat or finishing line to cross, I

always want to be first.

“I don’t work with any coaches or trainers. I like to set my own training plans and goals and just get

stuck in.

“But the great thing is that this has raised so much money for NHS charities who are going to helping

NHS staff who are doing wonderful things during the Coronavirus crisis.”