The Global Triathlon: Swimming, Cycling, and Running Around The Globe

Remember last year when we were all in awe of Charlie Wittmack and his World Tri? For those that don't recall, Charlie's "triathlon" consisted of him swimming across the English Channel, then riding his bike to India, before proceeding on foot to Tibet where he scaled Everest for the second time. He faced a lot of hardships along the way, but eventually he managed to cover all 16,000km (10,000 miles) to accomplish his goal.

This year, endurance athlete Dan Martin will take the concept one step further. Dan will embark on his Global Triathlon in May and will swim, cycle, and run his way around the globe. The adventure will begin in New York City where Martin will dive into the Hudson River and begin a 5700km (3541 mile) swim across the Atlantic Ocean. Yes, Dan is beginning the triathlon in the traditional way, but like everything else on this event, his swim just happens to be much longer.

He expect that swim to take upwards of four to six months to complete and plans on ending in France, where he'll climb onto his bike and start riding east. He'll then follow the Trans Siberian Express, in winter no less, across Europe and Asia before arriving in Anadyr in the far eastern portion of Russia. From there, he'll hop across the Bearing Sea to Uelen, Alaska and start a 5200km (3000 mile) trek across North America, ending back in New York where he started.

It is a very ambitious project to say the least and it should be interesting to follow along with Dan's progress. The fact that he is swimming an ocean is intriguing as well, especially in light of Ben Lecomte's efforts to swim across the Pacific, which will get underway in April.

Good luck to Dan on this excursion and thanks to Tim for sharing the Global Tri with me in the comments yesterday.

Ocean Rowing: Roz Cancels Retirement To Row The Atlantic

I meant to post this news earlier in the week, but other things kept getting in the way. Better late than never however.

Over the past few years we've followed Roz Savage as she systematically crossed the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans solo and completely under her own power. When she wrapped up that Indian Ocean crossing last October, she also announced that she was hanging up her oars for good. Late last week we found out that retirement isn't exactly in the cards just yet. Last Friday Roz posted a story to her website announcing her intentions of rowing the Atlantic Ocean, although this time she won't be going it alone.

Rower Andrew Morris had already been planning a crossing of his own that he had dubbed the Olympic Atlantic Row (OAR) as he, along with fellow rower Mick Dawson, had hoped to paddle across the North Atlantic and arrive in the U.K. in time for the start of the Olympic games in July. Mick had a conflict of schedules however and was forced to pull out of the project. Who better to take his place than Roz?

So, the plan now is to begin the ocean crossing May. The journey will cover 2587 miles (4163 km) and take roughly 60 days to complete. Crossing at that time of year won't be an easy one, as cold weather, heavy fogs, icebergs, and other dangers will conspire to provide plenty of challenge. But we know that Andrew and Roz are up to the task and it should be another good adventure to follow this spring when they set out from St. Johns in Newfoundland, Canada and begin their journey east.

Good luck Andrew and Roz!

Atlantic Rowing Team Rescued After Boat Capsizes

A six-person rowing team, that included Adventurer Mark Beaumont, had to be rescued from the Atlantic Ocean yesterday when their boat was capsized by a large wave. The group had been out on the water for 27 days at the time, and were hoping to set a new speed record for rowing from Morocco to Barbados in the Caribbean.

Beaumont, whom we've followed as he rode his bike around the world and then north-to-south across the Americas, says that the "freak" wave hit the boat while the crew was in the middle of a change in shifts. Typically, ocean rowing teams row non-stop, 24-hours per day, with crew members taking two-hour shifts or so. As a result of the poor timing of the wave, the hatch on the boat was open, contributing to the accident.

The entire squad was thrown into the water wearing just t-shirts and shorts. It took them about ten minutes to locate their emergency locator beacon, but once they set it off, it was only a matter of time before a ship could come and rescue them. Eventually they were plucked from the water by the tanker Nord Taipei, which is now making way for Gibraltar. The rowing team is expected their on February 9th.

At the time of the accident, the crew was just 520 miles shy of their destination, which makes the capsizing of their boat all the more hard to take. They had completed roughly 3000 miles of their journey and while it was going to be tough to complete the voyage in just 30 days, it is still disappointing to not even get the chance to try.

Thankfully, everyone survived and without any injuries. This could have been a much more tragic story, but the crew will live to row another day.

All-Woman Rowing Team Finishes Atlantic Crossing

Way back in October of last year I told you about an all-woman rowing team that was set to take part in the Woodvale Challenge, an annual race across the Atlantic Ocean in row boats. At the time, the ladies who made up the Row For Freedom team were hoping to not only complete the crossing, but nab a few records in the process. This past weekend, they reached the finish line, and accomplished some major milestones as well.

The team, which consists of Julia Immonen, Debbie Beadle, Helen Leigh, Kate Richardson, and Katie Pattison-Hart, started their adventure in the Canary Islands on December 7th. The team rowed in shifts, 24-hours per day, covering 4205km (2613 miles) in just 45 days, 15 hours, and 26 minutes, before arriving in Barbados in the Caribbean Sea. Their time marked a record for the fastest crossing of the Atlantic by an all female team and they became the first 5-woman squad to row any ocean at all.

While rowing the Atlantic Ocean is a great achievement and an impressive adventure in and of itself, the girls had bigger aspirations in mind when they set out. The team partnered with two charities, ECPAT UK and The A21 Campaign, both of which are working hard to stamp out human trafficking. The Row For Freedom effort was designed to raise awareness of this issue, which continues to be a very real and scary activity in many parts of our planet.

Congratulations to the entire team on a job well done. Amazing work!

All-Woman Team Preps To Row The Atlantic

An all-woman team is preparing to row the Atlantic this December as part of the Woodvale Challenge and to help raise awareness of the horrible crime of human trafficking – something that is still all to prevalent, even in the 21st century.

The expedition has been dubbed the Row For Freedom and it will get underway in December when the crew sets out from Canary Islands in an attempt to cover the 3000 miles required to reach Barbados. They estimate it will take about 40 days to cross the Atlantic, rowing in two-hour shifts, 24-hours per day. As mentioned, they'll be rowing as part of the Woodvale, which is an annual ocean race that has earned a reputation as being amongst the most challenging in the world.

The Row For Freedom team includes Julia Immonen, Andrea Quigley, Debbie Beadle, Helen Leigh, Kate Richardson, and Katie Pattison-Hart. Each of these ladies has dedicated their efforts towards stamping out slavery and human trafficking across the globe, and as a result, they're working with ECPAT UK to call upon the U.K. Government to provide safe harbor for child victims of trafficking in particular.

You'll be able to follow the progress of these ladies on their website once they get underway in about six weeks or so. Good luck to the whole crew, who are not only embarking on an amazing adventure, but they're doing so for an incredibly important cause as well.

Another Team Preps To Row The Atlantic

A team of Slovenian and British adventurers are planning to row the Atlantic in early 2012, making the journey along the Trade Winds Route between the Canary Islands and Barbados. The crew plans to set out in January, when conditions in the Atlantic are best for such a crossing.

The four-man team consists of three Brits, Nikkie Brown, Simon Osborne, and Stephen Bowens, as well as Marin Medak, who is the lone Slovenian on the squad. They hope to complete the 2500 nautical mile journey in about 60 days, braving the vast and open ocean along the way.

You can read more about their plans on the team's official website TransAtlantic20212.com, where you'll find info about each of the men, their specially designed row boat, and more.