C.R.A.S.H.-B. Sprints World Indoor Rowing Championships

For nearly four decades, the C.R.A.S.H.-B. Sprints served as the World Championships for indoor rowing. A venerable institution in itself, this singular, irreverent event is held every February in Boston, Massachusetts and continues to draw competitors from across the globe. Most recently, the race has been held at Boston University's Agganis Arena. Prior venues include the Reggie Lewis Track and Field Center and Harvard's Newell Boathouse. Founded in 1980 by several former U.S. Olympic rowers, the race is officially sponsored by Concept2. Originally, the acronymic name stood for the Charles River Association of Sculling Has-Beens, and was later amended to Charles River All-Star Has-Beens. The racing format has evolved as well. Today, all athletes race once, over the 2000m Olympic distance. Previously, both heats and finals were held over varied distances, including 2500m, five and six miles. The C.R.A.S.H.-B. offers fifty eight categories for women and men, including lightweight, heavyweight, junior, masters and Para events. The current world record for men was set in 2018 by Josh Dunkley-Smith with a time of 5:35.8 in Penrith, New South Wales, Australia. The fastest women's time is 6:22.8, set in 2017 by two-time C.R.A.S.H.-B. winner Olena Buryak in Wroclaw, Poland.