AIRO26 rules and information

Dates and window

AIRO26 opens at 00:00 AEDT on Saturday 24 October 2026. Row any Concept2 RowErg, anywhere, at a time that suits you. Rowing and result submissions close at 11:59 pm AEDT on Sunday 1 November 2026. Registration stays open throughout the nine days.

Who can enter

AIRO26 is open to anyone, anywhere, using a Concept2 RowErg. You can enter independently or with a school, club, gym, workplace or other participating organisation.

Australian residents who meet the AIRC verification standard can also compete for Australian Indoor Rowing Championship titles within AIRO26.

Entry and pricing

One entry covers all four core events, all three challenges and both relays. It also covers AIRC eligibility where you qualify. There is no per-event fee and no additional AIRC fee.

All prices include GST. The increase once the event starts is a late entry fee. Junior pricing applies to U19 and under as at 31 December 2026.

An individual hub may charge its own local venue or session fee.

School activation licences

A school buys a block of seats on one invoice. Students then enter free with the school's activation code. Their metres count for the school.

Organisation team codes

Members register using their organisation's team code. The organisation is then invoiced for those entries. This applies to participating clubs, workplaces and other organisations.

Events

Four core events: The Stack

Together, these four events make The Stack. Each performance will receive an age- and gender-adjusted score. Complete all four to make your Stack whole.

AIRC championship titles are decided on the four core events and the sprint relay.

Extra challenges

• 4-Minute Endurance: four minutes, maximum metres.
• The Six: six 1-minute pieces with 1 minute rest between, scored on total work metres.
• Calorie Ladder: 10-20-30-20-10 calorie rungs, scored on summed work time.

Relays

The relays are AIRC Sprint Relay and AIRO 10K Team Relay. Every relay athlete enters individually. After all four athletes have registered, one athlete forms the crew using all four competitor codes.

The Lot

Complete all four core events and all three challenges to do The Lot. That is seven events. The Lot is a recognition you either hold or do not hold. It is not a score or ranking, medal, badge or prize.

Submitted results will appear on the AIRO26 leaderboard. Your Stack will compare performances using age- and gender-adjusted scores.

Repeat attempts

Attempts may be repeated. Your best valid result will count on the leaderboard. Legitimate repeats add to Total Metres. One approved lightweight weigh-in covers all attempts.

Categories

Age is taken as at 31 December 2026.

Each age band has male and female divisions. A category with too few entries may be combined with a neighbouring category.

Lightweight

Lightweight is a modifier for athletes aged 19 and over. It is not a separate age category. The limits are 75kg and under for men and 61.5kg and under for women.

Lightweight verification uses one approved weigh-in, with a form and a scale photo.

Para

Para categories are crossed with gender and age:

• PR1: arms and shoulders.
• PR2: trunk and arms on a fixed seat.
• PR3: legs, trunk and arms on a sliding seat, including ID, PD and VI classes.

Athletes may compete up a para class, never down.

Relay divisions

Relays use male, female, mixed and age-graded divisions.

Junior relay age is set by the oldest crew member. Masters crews need at least three athletes aged 40 or over and an average age of at least 40. Open crews grade by average age.

Schools and clubs can enter numbered crews, such as U16 1 and U16 2. Relays have no lightweight division.

How to row and submit a result

Register for AIRO26, then row on a Concept2 RowErg within the event window. AIRO26 opens at 00:00 AEDT on Saturday 24 October 2026. Rowing and result submissions close at 11:59 pm AEDT on Sunday 1 November 2026.

From the moment the event opens, you will be able to submit in three ways: through the Row Nation app connected to your PM5, with a PM5 photo or with an ErgRace import.

Your codes

Have your seven-character competitor code ready from your AIRO26 confirmation email. Use it to link your entry once in the app, enter it on the photo form or add it to your ErgRace name as shown below. Can't find it? Ask your teacher if you entered through a school, or write to info@rownation.co.

Your competitor code covers the whole event. A PM5 photo also needs the verification code, which is different: it comes from the PM5 for the event you rowed.

Your result

Your official result will be the total on the PM5 summary row, the bold row directly below the column headers.

Row Nation app

1. Open the Events tab, then AIRO26. Enter your competitor code and tap “Link my entry”. You only need to link your entry once.
2. Under “Your races”, row your race with the PM5 connected to the app.
3. Tap “Save race”.

If you are offline, the app will show “Saved on your phone, will send when back online”.

For a photo submission in the app, choose “Upload a photo of your monitor”, upload your PM5 photo, then tap “Send photo”.

PM5 photo

1. Include the Concept2 verification code for the event you rowed in your photo. See Concept2’s guide to finding your verification code.

   

2. Take a clear, unaltered photo of the whole screen. Show the completed event, your result on the summary row and the verification code clearly. Without a visible code, your photo may be rejected or queried.
3. Open the AIRO26 photo submission form. Enter your competitor code and pick an entered race.
4. Upload the photo and submit.

ErgRace import

This route will be for hubs racing individual races on ErgRace. Relays cannot be submitted through ErgRace.

1. Ask your hub to put your competitor code in square brackets at the end of your ErgRace name, for example “Jane Smith [ABC1234]” (fictional example).
2. Race your individual event on ErgRace.
3. The Row Nation team will import your result into AIRO26.

After submitting

Results will be provisional. To query a result, write to info@rownation.co within three business days of its publication. After the event closes, a separate seven-day review and appeal period will run before finalisation.

Will I need video?

Most entrants will need no video. A 2K record claim will require video under Concept2’s Online 2K Requirements. A result within reach of an AIRC championship standard will need verification through an official AIRC Hub, an accredited coach or PM5 code verification.

App or site not loading on Wi-Fi?

Switch to mobile data or a hotspot. Ask your school, gym or work IT team to allow rownation.app and its subdomains.

Verification and AIRC championship titles

Most entrants submit a score for the leaderboard. Results in reach of an AIRC championship standard need hub, coach or PM5 code verification.

Australian residents who meet the championship standard and complete the applicable verification process can have their result marked AIRC Verified. There is no separate AIRC entry or additional AIRC fee.

Official AIRC Hub

Row at an approved hub with an Accepted AIRC Verifier on site. A correctly recorded result will be marked AIRC Verified automatically. No separate video or witness is needed.

Accredited coach attestation

Nominate a current Rowing Australia accredited coach. The coach will confirm your result through a secure link.

PM5 code verification

Photograph the PM5 memory screen clearly so the result and the PM5 verification code are readable. No video needed.

Official AIRC Hubs are approved public venues. Schools, clubs, gyms and workplaces can also run private cohort sessions.

Records

Results will also be checked against Concept2 Australian and World records for every event distance. If a result is inside a record, Row Nation will flag it and direct the athlete to Concept2's record claim process.

If you're chasing a 2K record, follow Concept2's Online 2K Requirements, which include a video. Row with the Concept2 ErgData app or the Row Nation app, linked to your Concept2 Logbook, so Concept2 has your stroke-by-stroke data to check against the video (if your hub races you on ErgRace, you don't need either app, but you still need the video).

Stack completers

Complete all four core events with checked, published results between 24 October and 1 November 2026 to be a verified Stack completer. This also enters you in the Concept2 RowErg draw, subject to the draw terms below.

Stack shirts

Limited Stack shirts are free. You pay postage. Shirts are posted after the event closes.

Medals

AIRC championship placegetters will be able to buy a medal at cost, posted direct to them by our medal supplier. Medals are optional. The price, postage and ordering details will follow after the event closes on 1 November.

Concept2 RowErg draw: terms

1. Promoter: Row Nation Pty Ltd (ABN 80 651 087 035). Prize: one Concept2 RowErg.
2. Who's in: verified Stack completers. That means all four core events (1 minute, 500m, 1K, 2K) with checked, published results between 24 October and 1 November 2026.
3. One entry per verified Stack completer. The draw happens once results are finalised, by Friday 13 November 2026.
4. We contact the winner by the email on their entry. They have 14 days to reply, or we redraw.
5. Concept2 Australia ships the RowErg direct to the winner, who supplies delivery details with consent. Australian addresses only.
6. No cash alternative. The prize can't be transferred.
7. We announce the winner by first name and last initial, with their consent.
8. Row Nation staff and their immediate families can't enter. Under-18 winners receive the prize through a parent or guardian.
9. Questions: info@rownation.co

Teams and affiliations

Choose one affiliation, such as a rowing club, school, gym, workplace or other participating organisation. You can also register independently.

Within an affiliation you may join one team, such as a school house, squad or department. After your first result is posted, your team and affiliation lock for the event.

Your metres contribute to your own total and AIRO26 Total Metres. If you select a team and affiliation, they also contribute to those totals.

Affiliations compete on three boards:

• Total Metres: metres from every member contribute to the affiliation's tally.
• Affiliation Stack: the affiliation's best adjusted score in each of the four core events will combine into one total. A better result will take the slot automatically.
• Stack Finishers: the number of members who complete all four core events.

Contact and help

For AIRO26 questions, email info@rownation.co.

Back to the AIRO26 main page