What It Takes To Row 3,000 Miles Across The Atlantic Ocean

The fitness industry has arguably never been bigger or more popular. Once a sub-cult headed up by protein shake-chugging 'Do you even lift?' bros, it's now a world many of us are dipping our toes confidently into - even if that just means forking out for an expensive gym membership that you use twice a month.

But as most of us aimlessly fling kettlebells around or pound the rubber on a treadmill that takes you absolutely nowhere, many are looking for a life outside of the four walls of a gym for their workouts, opting instead for extreme sports and outdoor pursuits that tap into that raw, primeval energy our ancestors will have needed.

On its simplest level, that might mean a gruelling boot camp that mimics the workouts of the special forces, or a wall in a climbing centre that acts as a stand-in for a sheer cliff edge. But beyond that, it seems the world's both your oyster and your playground - as proven by our obsession with shows like SAS: Who Dares Wins and The Island With Bear Grylls, which take everyday people like ourselves and throw them into extreme survival situations.

Two weeks ago a team of four Dutch rowers called Dutch Atlantic Four won the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge after rowing 3,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean, the second largest sea in the world.

Billed as the 'World's Toughest Row', the annual contest sees teams or solo rowers navigate themselves from La Gomera in the Canary Islands all the way to the small Caribbean island of Antigua, using nothing but a tiny rowing boat, a set of oars and sheer man power.

Battling the 20ft waves of the Atlantic - which runs to 5.2 miles deep - competitors will row for two hours and sleep for two hours. In the past, some teams have even been known to row for three and have just 60 minutes of rest.

The experience is about as glamorous as you'd expect: it's out with the meat and two veg and in with a diet that revolves around packets of dehydrated food - while dropping a load becomes a case of literally shitting into a bucket.

Then, of course, there's the element of danger. The chance of the boat itself actually capsizing is fairly rare, as the vessels are all designed to self-right, but the crashing waves and powerful ocean swells mean all rowers are made to wear a sturdy safety harness at all times. Even if the water doesn't look choppy, it can still pack a potentially fatal punch.

"It is definitely the biggest risk," Safety and Duty Officer Lee Fudge told LADbible.

"That's why there's a race rule that any time you're not in the cabin, you must be attached to the boat using a rated safety line and harness. And you always have to have a personal locator beacon attached to you, so if you do end up treading water you can set that off."

Burning as much as 8,000 calories per day, rowers lose an average of 12kg during the race - meaning that many will dedicate much of the year or two before the race getting their bodies physically fit, working particularly on core strength.

Dutch Atlantic Four would even do marathons together on rowing machines, mirroring the schedule of rowing in intervals with one hour on, one hour off for 12 hours or so.

But Fudge and Race Director Carsten Heron Olsen place most importance on knowing the boat like the back of your hand.

"Obviously you need to be in some kind of shape when you participate - to prevent injuries it's always good to be in good shape," Heron Olsen explained.

"But there's nothing on that boat you can slack off on, knowledge wise," Fudge added.

Dutch Atlantic Four's Marcel Ates, 58, Erik Koning, 51, Bart Adema, 34, and David de Brujin, 33, also took it one step further, adding thorough mental preparation to their physical training.

"We heard all the stories of people not wanting to talk to each other when they finished, and we were like 'Okay, whatever happens we don't want to have this'," explained de Brujin, who said the team all took personality tests ahead of the race to work out how they could understand one another.

"We really managed to figure out a way to accept each other," de Brujin said.

"If you get an issue on board and it keeps coming back in your mind, you lash out and it really affects the whole team.

"So every time we had an issue we talked to each other."

While the foursome arrived in Antigua to much-deserved a heroes' welcome, they maintain the victory was never their end goal: they wanted to leave as friends, and return as 'better friends'.

"We were not in for the win - we were going for the adventure," the team told us.

They explained that it was that adrenaline rush that kept them going during their demanding 34-day, 12-hour journey; to them, the best moments of the whole trip were when the 'boat was flying' through the waves.

"It was beautiful sometimes," de Brujin said.

"You feel this kind of adrenaline when the waves pick up. You feel that the boat's going 4.5 knots or something, and then you catch a wave and it goes up to 10 knots.

"And after the two hours, the only thing you say is 'Holy shit, that was a nice shift', and you go to bed."

Ates added: "The row challenged us more than we could have imagined, but we faced the elements and came out the other side of this journey together as a team with a new found respect for the ocean, which was like a dance floor where our little boat was dancing on the waves.

"It really has been the adventure of a lifetime, an opportunity to step away from our daily routines and achieve something incredible."

It may be the adrenaline rush that Dutch Atlantic Four were craving, but there are some moments of calm among the storm when rowing across an ocean.

"Sometimes you just stare off and watch the seascape," added Fudge, who has also had his fair share of ocean rowing experience.

"I like watching how the waves move, trying to figure out if there's a pattern. And at night if there's no cloud cover, it's amazing how many stars there are - I mean, there's no light pollution, so you can't make out the constellations you would normally see because there are so many other stars around."

Swimmer Ross Edgley - who recently became the first person to swim around the whole of Great Britain on 4 November after 157 days at sea - was also at the finish line in Antigua to greet the winning team.

His epic adventure may have differed to that of Dutch Atlantic Four's, but he could relate to a great deal of their journey - particularly the challenge of wrestling with the wild.

"I think that's what was nice about the Great British Swim and equally the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge is that it's so honest," he said.

"If you haven't done the hard work you won't get fit in 'five easy steps'.

"Out in the middle of the Atlantic it's just you versus mother nature. I always say mother nature is so merciless but also so righteous in that if you've done your work and you've done your prep, you'll be okay - but if you haven't? You'll be found out."

He added: "I think we've realised there's life beyond the squat rack. The human body is so much more capable than we're often led to believe."

To track the progress of the other solo rowers and teams also participating in the race, click here.

Featured Image Credit: Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge

Topics: SPORT, World News, News, Rowing