The ‘Why’

7 October 2020

The question I most often get asked when I talk about this endeavour is “Why?”. In short, I wanted a challenge of a great enough magnitude that it would offer a platform to leverage the conversation around gender inequality in sport. Most people find it difficult to comprehend what it will be like to solo row an ocean. That’s perfect as it captures people’s attention and, when I have that attention, I am able to discuss the issues and increase awareness. Often people have never stopped to consider the current social norms that create barriers for women’s access to sport and the onwards impact that can have. I’m also aiming to raise £50,000 for UK charity Women in Sport.

The next thing I usually get asked is why I am so passionate about this cause. In part that passion is a result of my working life. Like many women in the sports industry, I’ve encountered unacceptable discrimination in the workplace, but I’ve also learnt over time that if your voice is going to have impact it has to be telling a positive story. It must acknowledge the issues, but the key focus must be on change and progression. 

Predominantly, however, my drive comes from my personal experience of sport. I didn’t come to sport until my mid-20s and it was at a point in my life where I’d encountered a reasonable amount of adversity. The stress of that adversity manifested itself as a twelve-year-long eating disorder and depression. It’s easy to think that living through adversity takes something away from you, and it does, but I firmly believe you should seek out the good in whatever hand you’re dealt. What adversity gives you is the tools to fight, to persevere, to overcome. And those qualities serve you well in a sporting environment.

As such, when I started to discover sport I realised I already had some of the necessary elements to participate. I might have been an out of shape, overworked twenty-something-year-old lawyer with a healthy penchant for white wine, but what life had ensured I’d got in my locker was resilience. It’s that resilience that’s drawn me to chase goals involving adventure and challenge.

Rowing the Atlantic will be the biggest adventure yet, an endurance challenge like no other. There will no doubt be days where I don’t want to get up and row, but when the chips are down and you want to throw the towel in, life has taught me that your only option is to push on. In all circumstances you have the choice of how to react. I chose to use the events I experienced to fuel my desire to build a good life for myself. Sport has been the foundation of that life. It’s defined my career and, once surrounded by sport for work, I brought it into my personal life. I started with running. I found it offered me the time to organise my thoughts and a reason to look after my body and properly fuel myself. 

I progressed to participating in a half marathon. I’d never felt as accomplished as I did crossing my first finish line at 27 years old. I continued and ran another half marathon, then I took up road cycling. A couple of 100-mile rides later and I took on my first triathlon, then a trail run. My ultimate highlights to date have been standing atop the summits of the Gran Paradiso, Mont Blanc and Kilimanjaro. 

My experience isn’t unique. Lots of people at various times in their life encounter adversity. In one form or another, everyone has their own ocean to cross. But it’s sport that has shown me that the only limits are the ones we set ourselves. In overcoming sporting challenges, I have expanded my definition of who I am and what I’m capable of. I now want to help others do the same.

If you’d like to contribute to the challenge, visit this link and find out more about all the different forms of donations available to support the fight against gender inequality in sport.