Meet The Youngest Woman To Row Across The Atlantic

There are just a lot of record-breaking incidents in the world in a lot of aspects and fields. However, the most common ones are in the world of sports, especially the ones that people usually love watching like football, basketball, rugby, boxing, tennis, and more. People just seem to find it even more amazing when athletes would break world-records especially during the Olympics or World Championships.

Then again, there are just some people who don’t seem to pay attention to those other record-breaking moments unless they actually see it on the news or in this generation’s case, on the top trends on the internet. Just like what happened 7 years ago in January 2010, when a young American woman became the youngest human being to actually row solo across the Atlantic Ocean. Now that you think about it, it definitely seems so impossible and not a lot of people know or pay attention to it, which is why more than 7 years later, this lady continues to be such an inspiration to everyone and has managed to actually share some of her amazing inspirational journey toward the Atlantic.

YOUNGEST PERSON TO ROW ACROSS ATLANTIC

A young woman from Ohio named Katie Spotz managed to break a world record by being the youngest person to ever row across the Atlantic Ocean. In an interview with Fitness Magazine, Spotz admitted that she has never been the usual star athlete growing up when she was in high school got serious when it comes to running and even joined the marathon. But when she was asked how she actually got into the idea of crossing the Atlantic Ocean by herself, she said that she just heard a friend talking about someone who did it.

“At that time, I thought I had heard of everything ‘big’ that was out there, but he told me about a friend who had rowed across an ocean alone. Immediately, I was intrigued. So I kept asking myself how does a person ever do that? Is it physically possible? What kind of equipment did he use? What would accomplish something like that feel like? It was just far beyond anything I’d ever imagine and experience and I had no rowing experience, but still – I wondered,” Spotz explained.

.@KatieSpotz hadn't walked a single step for 70 days, five hours, and 22 minutes. But why? https://t.co/BeGvs66e4N pic.twitter.com/6cM2FEkNsN

— BTRtoday (@BreakThruRadio) January 9, 2016

It was during her final year in college that she decided she wanted to be the youngest person to ever row across the Atlantic Ocean by herself. Spotz revealed that she actually prepared for 2 years for this 2,817-mile trip. However, her goal is not just to set a world record, she also aimed to raise $30,000 for Blue Planet Dun Foundation which is a nonprofit organization that raises awareness for safe drinking water. She also had to exercise for 10 hours every single week along with working full time and at the same time, she had to do of course row for about six to eight hours every weekend.

However, these physical preparations were apparently considered as easy compared to how she prepared herself mentally. “The toughest part, though, was the mental preparation. I had to learn to meditate, and even took a 10-day course where I mediated for like 12 hours a day without making eye contact with another person. Then there were basics that I had to learn about first aid at sea, and sea survival in general, just so I could learn to withstand being confined to a 19-foot, 750-pound boat for 70 days,” she explained.

Follow Katie’s journey on her book, Just Keep Rowing

ATLANTIC JOURNEY OVER THE YEARS

Years have passed and when Spotz was asked if she would ever do something like that again, she definitely will. She was able to exceed her fundraising goal of $75,000 and managed to help more than 2,000 families. She also said that over the past few year she had managed to compete in ironmans, and a lot of triathlons and marathons. “Throughout all of my crazy and incredible journeys, though there’s one more lesson that transcends: We have a choice to either doubt or believe in ourselves. If you can make a habit to believe, anything is possible and that positivity carries over to other parts of your life, manifesting in ways you can’t even imagine.”

You can get a copy of @KatieSpotz's new book, Just Keep Rowing, when she visits us next week https://t.co/EDgFyQjgdI pic.twitter.com/400amMBDeb

— MentorPublicLibrary (@MentorPL) November 9, 2015

Spotz has managed to release a book called Just Keep Rowing, which was co-authored by her university professor Mark Bowles. It is a detailed lesson and stories about how she managed to survive her 70-day journey across the Atlantic Ocean.