Imagine being in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean with no land in sight. You decided to complete the unique challenge of crossing the ocean in nothing but a rowboat and only with help from your two teammates and the oar in your hands. You are part of a team consisting of three ordinary women who have decided to embark on an insane and extraordinary adventure. To complete the toughest ocean-row race in the world - The Talisker Whiskey Atlantic Challenge.
The challenge will take you almost 5000 km. across the Atlantic from La Gomera in the Canary Islands to Antiqua in the Caribbean. Each team will row more than 1.5 million strokes during the race. You will struggle with sleep deprivation, abrasions and physical extremes while being left with your own thoughts. You have one job and one job only - to get the boat safely over the Atlantic
The team
We are a pure women's team. We are not professional athletes of any kind and we have never participated in anything like this before. Anne Marie Feilberg is the CEO of a technology company and a mother of two children. Camilla Tvernø is an independent consultant and mother of two as well. Marie Adserballe is a primary school teacher and is the mother of a son and a bonus mother.
We met while training in “The Wolfpack Gym” and decided to pursue this dream. We want to show that neither gender nor motherhood is an obstacle to setting a goal like this. This is an important message for us as the first women's team from Denmark to participate in the race.
We have chosen the team name "Rowmodels" (hint: rolemodels) because we want to inspire young girls and women to follow their dreams, because no matter where you come from, you can do extraordinary things if you commit to it. You should take the chances and opportunities that life gives you or even seek them out.
Talisker Whiskey Atlantic Challenge
Talisker Whiskey Atlantic Challenge brings together teams from all parts of society united with the same goal: to take on the unique challenge of crossing an ocean in a rowboat. The annual race begins December 12, 2022 with approx. 50 teams participating from all over the world. The race starts from La Gomera in the Canary Islands and ends at Antiqua in the Caribbean. When the teams cross the Atlantic, they will row almost 5000 km. by using only their own raw strength. At its deepest, the Atlantic Ocean is 8.5 km / 5.28 miles deep, and rowers can experience waves measuring up to 20 feet. It is an unsupported race, which means we must be able to fend for ourselves. We must be able to repair if something breaks, we turn seawater into drinking water and we have food with us for the whole trip. The challenge is focused on sustainability, zero-waste and is non-profit. Each team selects charities to raise money for and we have chosen Girltalk.
The good cause
In our choice of charity, our primary focus has been on how we can inspire and help young girls and women pursue their dreams and take the opportunities that come their way. We have established a collaboration with Girltalk, where we will continuously raise money, create awareness and focus on the well-being of young girls. This will happen before, during and after the competition. After the competition, we would like to use the story and the experience we get out there to do lectures and events in collaboration with Girltalk. We are already in contact with several schools that want to get us out to do lectures. The need for a heightening focus on girls' well-being was just emphasized by the latest National Health Profile 2021, which i.a. shows that every third young girl has poor mental health.
Read more about the good cause and how you can help support GirlTalk right here: https://www.rowmodels.dk/about-4
The project - From start to finish
We are registered for the race starting December 2022 and plan to cross the finish line at the end of January 2023. The boat is already sponsored and is on its way to Denmark. To prepare for the challenge, we have put together a strong team with a performance coach Stefan Vilner and a physical trainer Lasse Wulff Hansen. Lasse has crossed the Atlantic three times before, so he has extensive experience with the physical and practical preparation.
