From the River Witham to the Atlantic Ocean Lincoln Alumna Sets Sail on Epic World Record Attempt
5 November 2020
Christmas may look a little different this year, especially for Lincoln alumna Georgie Leech who will be racing 3,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean in a rowing boat.
Christmas may look a little different this year, especially for Lincoln alumna Georgie Leech who will be racing 3,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean in a rowing boat.
She’ll be taking part in the annual Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge, which sees teams from around the world put their physical and mental endurance to the test as they race from La Gomera in the Canary Islands to Antigua and Barbuda in the Caribbean. This epic adventure is driven by a passion for rowing that Georgie developed as a student at the University of Lincoln, UK.
Georgie said: “I’d never rowed before, but I signed up to the Rowing Club during Freshers Week and loved it! “I had so much fun learning to row and made life-long friends. Some of my best memories are of early-morning training sessions in Lincoln watching the sunrise with my housemates.”
Setting sail on 12 December 2020, Georgie and her teammates are aiming to break two world records on their journey for the fastest female trio and the youngest female trio to complete the race. They’ll face sleep deprivation, isolation and possible extreme weather. Contestants last year even lost half an oar to an inquisitive shark.
Georgie said: “This will be the biggest sporting challenge we’ve ever faced. We have undergone extensive physical training, but nothing can prepare us mentally for potentially seeing nothing but each other and the ocean for days or weeks at a time.
“We’re planning to use our satellite phone to call our families on Christmas Day, and we’ll be packing a Terry’s chocolate orange each, which will be a treat after weeks of freeze-dried food!
“We’re also aiming to raise money for two charities close to our hearts – Women in Sport and Rowing Together for Healthy Minds (in partnership with the mental health charity Mind).
“Rowing can be hugely beneficial for both physical and mental health. It gets the endorphins pumping, which is particularly important currently with local and national lockdowns.
“There have been some setbacks due to COVID-19, but we feel very fortunate that we can still take part and hope our end goal will help us to power through to the finish line and set some new world records.”
You can follow the team’s progress in the run up to the race on Facebook and Instagram @atlanticantics2020 and on Twitter @atlanticantics.
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