Kari Pearce Named Among Winners of Rogue Fitness “Pump-N-Row” Challenge

April 30, 2021 by Roger Lockridge

Rogue Fitness has been offering a series of virtual challenges for fitness junkies. Rogue’s last event, “The Cliffhanger Challenge,” tested grip strength while hanging from a pull-up bar, while the “Bear Hug Challenge” focused on maintaining stability and control of a large sandbag. Before that, athletes raced to see who could log 50 calories the fastest on an air bike.

The “Pump-N-Row” challenge, which took place from April 16-19, 2021, called for athletes to row 2,000-meters and then bench press their body weight (or 75% of bodyweight for women) for as many reps as possible. Each repetition on the bench press offered a 10-second reduction on the athlete’s row time. The fastest time won the contest. On April 30, 2021, the winners were announced on the Rogue Fitness Instagram page.

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The Pump-N-Row Challenge Results

To keep things fair, both men’s and women’s divisions were divided into three weight categories: Lightweight, Middleweight, and Heavyweight. There was also a scaled option available for athletes, but only those who took on the Rx’d version of the challenge could compete for prizes.

Athletes were required to use a Concept2 model, a standard steel 15-kilogram or 20-kilogram barbell, and clearly marked weight plates.

Here are the prizes awarded to the top three men and top three women in each weight category:

First — $2,500 and a Concept2 Rower
Second — $1,000 and a Barbell
Third — $500 and a Barbell

Male Heavyweight Winners

Frederik Smulter took the overall victory in the men’s heavyweight category thanks to a row time of 6:51:05 and 40 repetitions on the bench press. Weights that the athletes used were not disclosed. Coming in second place was Michael O’Neil, who actually finished the row 33 seconds faster than Smulter. His 29 repetitions on the bench are what led to his runner-up finish. Rounding out the top three was Ali Karaouni.

First Place — Frederik Smulter, 0:41 ($2,500 and a Concept 2 Rower)
Second Place — Michael O’Neil, 1:38 ($1,000 and a Barbell)
Third Place — Ali Karaouni, 2:31 ($500 and a Barbell)

Female Heavyweight Winners

Whitney Gelin emerged from this competition victorious thanks to row a time of 7:19; she benched 27 repetitions with 75% of her body weight for a final time of 2:49. Taking the silver position was Ana Caldas, who was only two seconds behind Gelin on the final time. Third place went to Joanna Kawalec, who was only four seconds behind Caldas.

First Place — Whitney Gelin, 2:49 ($2,500 and a Barbell)
Second Place — Ana Caldas, 2:51 ($1,000 and a Barbell)
Third Place — Joanna Kawalec, 2:55 ($500 and a Barbell)

Male Middleweight Winners

In the middleweight men’s field, Stanislav Solodov was the fastest rower with a time of 6:17 seconds. He also completed 27 repetitions on the bench press, which took six minutes off his row time. His 17 second final time is the fastest out of all the podium finishers. Brandon Jacobs was able to secure second place by finishing with a final count of 41 seconds. Rounding out the top three was Colten Mertens.

First Place — Stanislav Solodov, 0:17 ($2,500 and a Barbell)
Second Place — Brandon Jacobs, 0:41 ($1,000 and a Barbell)
Third Place — Colten Mertens, 0:48 ($500 and a Barbell)

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[Related: One Stage Away — 2021 CrossFit Games Semifinals Seedings Announced]

Female Middleweight Winners

The winner of the women’s middleweight category may be a familiar face. Four-time Fittest American Woman Kari Pearce dominated her division to take the top honors. Her row time of 7:49.8 was not the fastest, but her 45 repetitions on the bench press carried her to victory over second-place finisher Abigail Brosh. Coming in third was Alex Garzan.

First Place — Kari Pearce, 0:19.8 ($2,500 and a Barbell)
Second Place — Abigail Brosh, 1:37 ($1,000 and a Barbell)
Third Place — Alex Gazan, 1:43 ($500 and a Barbell)

Male Lightweight Winners

The victor in this division was Alexander Hamilton. The American managed to row the 2,000 meters in just under eight minutes and achieve 28 repetitions on the bench. The combination gave him a 43-second overall win over Alex Maltsev. Rounding out the top three was Spencer Cotton.

First Place — Alexander Hamilton, 3:15 ($2,500 and a Barbell)
Second Place — Alex Maltsev, 3:58 ($1,000 and a Barbell)
Third Place — Spencer Cotton, 4:03 ($500 and a Barbell)

Female Lightweight Winners

Amy Klemo’s combination of a row time of 8:49 and 41 reps on the bench makes her the top female lightweight finisher. Yuko Sakuyama of Japan was the runner-up. Even though she finished the rowing 25 seconds faster than Klemo, she completed four fewer reps on the bench, which placed her 15 seconds behind the winner. Jessica Landgrebe came in third.

First Place — Amy Klemo, 1:59 ($2,500 and a Barbell)
Second Place — Yuko Sakuyama, 2:14 ($1,000 and a Barbell)
Third Place — essica Landgrebe, 3:02 ($500 and a Barbell)

There was also a contest for the gyms with the most competitors participating, with the winning business receiving a Concept2 rower. Wao CrossFit in Bukit Timah, Singapore, was the winning gym with 51 participants.

Featured Image: @karipearcecrossfit