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Episode 7. Kelsey Pfendler - on the edge of an incredible adventure
75 Plays16 days ago
Welcome to Episode 7 of the Wild Onez Podcast. In this episode, we sit down with Kelsey Pfendler to talk about her upcoming and truly extraordinary journey—a SOLO ocean row from California to Hawaii.
We explore Kelsey’s origin story in endurance sports, her time working as a Grand Canyon river guide, her previous adventures as a team of 4 on this route and how those experiences shaped the mindset she’s bringing into this next chapter. She shares what it takes to prepare—mentally, physically, and logistically—for a challenge of this magnitude, as she gets ready to spend weeks alone at sea , with her boat named Lily, pushing her limits in pursuit of something world record breaking.
This is an inspiring conversation about resilience, courage, and committing fully to a goal that Kelsey dreamt up a few years ago. FOLLOW HER STORY AS IT'S HAPPENING!!!
Follow her journey on Instagram: @YouRowKelsey
Support her expedition: http://spot.fund/dnmq22hsc
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Transcript
Intro
Welcome and Introduction
00:09:27
Speaker
Awesome. Welcome to the wild ones podcast, Kelsey. We're here. I'm stoked to be here. I'm so excited. This is incredible. You are a badass. I will probably keep saying that because it's just awesome. Well, I mean, we'll, we'll talk about it, but it's awesome what you are doing and what you're planning and what you have done. yeah.
Origins of Endurance Journey
00:09:51
Speaker
yeah Sarah, how did you meet Kelsey? Because that's why that's wild in itself too. Because landlocked state in Colorado. It is actually. pretty funny how we met. So I was going on a long run and happened to run through town. And I feel like on my runs, normally I'm kind of just like avoidant of other people. But I saw Kelsey and just ah like a group of people standing around this rowboat. And I'm like, what is this boat doing in the middle of BV? Like, this is so cool and so crazy. And so i was like, I got to stop and say hi and see what this is all about.
00:10:29
Speaker
Um, and then, yeah, we chatted for a little bit, talked about endurance and somehow persuaded Kelsey to join us on the podcast. So here we are. It's incredible. Um, Kelsey, tell us why you had a boat in the middle of Colorado. Uh, well, out of all the things.
00:10:54
Speaker
ah um I am currently training for a row across the mid-Pacific, so that's California to Hawaii. And I live in Buena Vista, Colorado, so that's where my boat was there. i ah got the boat in July and moved it to BV to work on it and get it prepped so I could move it out to California, which is where I am now, to train on water.
00:11:20
Speaker
But when we met, I was... getting
Grand Canyon Challenge and Lessons Learned
00:11:23
Speaker
ready to leave and I had been convinced by my partner Carlos that I had to show people the boat before I left but I was much more inclined to just leave quietly yeah but he was like bring it out there people need to see it and I was like oh okay because i'm I'm not a super extroverted person so i I was stoked to be there and s stoked to see how many people were excited to see it and um all the support I got but but I was definitely there not on my own accord
00:11:54
Speaker
Well, I'm really glad he roped you into that and our paths crossed because I'm super excited to follow your journey. It's super inspiring. Before we get into all of like the like what's coming and like what you're about to set off to tell us like a little bit about yourself and then like how like what is your origin story of endurance sports?
00:12:20
Speaker
um That's actually kind of an interesting one. ah So I, you know, you're just like a classic semi athlete as a as a kid, but I really didn't do much endurance sports. I was a swimmer year round, but I was always ah so kind of like a mid distance or a sprinter. And I never felt like I was very good. i was always just kind of just good enough, like would get third place pretty consistently. And I never really felt ah like I was doing a good job athletically for like a long time until I started um experimenting more with longer distances.
00:12:56
Speaker
But my real first experience with um endurance events or endurance endeavors was not until actually after ah pretty a traumatic event that happened to me after in during a Grand Canyon trip.
00:13:13
Speaker
We had a pretty awful injury happen, and I took it really hard. And I had been planning to do my first um ultra, and it was not a sanctioned race or anything. It was just me wanting to do a rim-to-rim-to-rim.
00:13:31
Speaker
um And i had never run more than like 12 miles before. But I kind of wanted to see what would happen um and see what I could do without really like, you know, training for the thing.
00:13:47
Speaker
So after this, like the day after this trip, I was pretty ah still struggling with that. And I decided just to go um on this run. And um so I'm a Grand Canyon River guide. So my, ah the base of operations is like,
00:14:03
Speaker
40 minutes from the North Room. So I was at our agar river base and then I got up at like 2 a.m. to drive to the North Room. And as I'm like driving to the North Room, um my, sorry, I own a Volkswagen van again that I live in.
00:14:18
Speaker
And I'm driving to the North Room and
Preparing for a Record-Breaking Solo Row
00:14:20
Speaker
my lights are like dying as I'm driving up there. And I'm like, oh crap. And then it starts to like snow. And then my car completely dies. um And i I'm like,
00:14:33
Speaker
in the snow, trying to figure out what's going on. I understand car is a decent amount, especially because I've had to work on my car so much. And I figured out that my alternator had totally gone, but I had a set of jumper cables. So I attached my jumper cables to my car battery, to my house battery that runs all like my ah RV lights and stuff like that.
00:14:50
Speaker
And I was able to get my battery... charged up enough to get me to the North Rim. And by the time i get to the North Rim, it's like hailing. and I'm like, okay, I'm just going to wait for like an hour or two. And um like, I hear people like crawling out of like the trail, just being like, oh my God, because it's it was like such a big storm.
00:15:12
Speaker
um And The sperm cook finally passes and I'm getting ready to go. And I'm like looking for my headphones and I cannot find them. They were my AirPods. And I check on my phone, like, you know, you can see like what last time they were seen.
00:15:27
Speaker
And it was on the road as I was like trying to figure out what was going on. So they, they were gone to the abyss. So I realized I had no headphones for this, this run as well. and And I said,
00:15:39
Speaker
screw it, I'm still going to do it. And I just went to see what would happen. And I did rim to rim to rim with no headphones in 14 hours, which was really cool for me.
00:15:52
Speaker
ah And it was my first like real experience with endurance but sports that was always that was like directly paired with a pretty rough experience in my life. And I think that kind of like solidified a part of it for me that like it is a way of like meditation through.
00:16:10
Speaker
things for me and it's a way to move through um experiences and like process it without like let your body process it before your mind has to process it. So I definitely have like a pretty close attachment to endurance sports because of that and because of what it does for you.
00:16:29
Speaker
What a story. What an origin story. feel like, wait, hold on. It gets better. Just more epic. like You thought I was done.
00:16:40
Speaker
That's wild. Yeah, I like fell in love with it after that. i like I like doing hard things for a really long time.
00:16:52
Speaker
I do. No, but honestly, that's epic. Like all of the things went wrong and you're just like, screw it. I'm still going to do this. I like, I'm going to make You like million reasons to say no that day.
00:17:04
Speaker
And you still did it. That's incredible. Yeah, it was a great experience too. I loved it.
00:17:11
Speaker
Did you have much like preparation going into that for like fuel strategy like type thing or was that just like also completely winging it?
00:17:21
Speaker
um I like I had some strategy. I had food with me if that's the ah question. i had food and I had electrolytes. So i like I i did plan in some degree. But what I was really hoping for was ah was to get a burger at Phantom Ranch, which is at the bottom.
00:17:41
Speaker
And because of COVID, it was like right around the COVID time, kind of like the year after, um they were not letting you get burgers at Phantom Ranch anymore. I didn't know that. So that was a problem that I faced that I was really bummed about.
00:17:58
Speaker
It was pretty upsetting. um So yeah, there, you know, i learned some stuff and like there was ah things left to be wanting during that run as far as feeling, but you know, and you learn.
00:18:10
Speaker
You learn, you live and you learn with that for sure. I learned things. I'm sure you've learned a lot more since then about feeling during, for various things. Maybe.
00:18:24
Speaker
That's what I tell myself. like Sometimes I remember to eat the good things, but other times, you know, it just depends. I mean, yeah, that's what's nice about having a buddy with Swim Run. You're like, you eat anything yet?
00:18:37
Speaker
Yes? No? Okay, well, time to eat. I mean, even for river rafting, too, you had to have a buddy and be like, yeah, you good? You good? You got it? Yeah, you got to take care of each other.
00:18:50
Speaker
That's Yeah. So, um yeah, what are you getting into this spring? What what are your plans? i am prepping. I'm sorry, what was that? I got into it a little bit, but you're you're doing some big prep.
00:19:10
Speaker
Yeah, I am prepping to do a solo mid-Pacific row from California to walk through Hawaii. I will be the first American woman to do it. I'll be the third overall.
00:19:24
Speaker
I'll be the youngest woman, and I am trying to break the current women's world record, which is 86 days, which at this point in time is a pretty attainable record.
00:19:35
Speaker
ah So I think there is a good chance
Technology and Equipment for Ocean Rowing
00:19:38
Speaker
that it might happen.
00:19:40
Speaker
That's incredible. That's super badass. That's wild. Okay, so you have, I found the Instagram account. You have the Instagram account. How else are people going to be able to follow you?
00:19:53
Speaker
are you going have tracker? Carl to help out? So there's this, uh, desktop website and also app called YB races, yellow brick, yellow brick, uh, races.
00:20:09
Speaker
It is essentially like a GPS tracker that I will have on a boat that will update it the location, um, every hour or so, um, of the boat. So you can kind of track it across the ocean. I'll also do be doing daily updates on socials. Um, and yeah,
00:20:30
Speaker
That's the situation. We're going to be definitely watching that every day and following along because this seems so incredible. um And we'll also post your socials in the bio of this episode so people can follow along and support you as well. Is there any other way folks can support you along this journey?
00:20:54
Speaker
um Yeah, I have a ah spot fund that really helps. And I'm also during the row, I'll be um raising money for what's called the Whale Foundation, which is kind of like a
00:21:09
Speaker
a very wonderful foundation kind of based around Grand Canyon River guiding, but also anyone associated with protecting or being part of Grand Canyon. um It started as a mental health service, but also provides scholarships for education and kind
00:21:26
Speaker
kind of ah just help with regular parts of life for anyone that is involved in Grand Canyon, supporting Grand Canyon, being part of Grand Canyon. And obviously because I've been a Grand Canyon River Guide for so long, and I actually had um a lot of support from the Whale Foundation myself through different difficult scenarios, um I will be raising money for them.
00:21:50
Speaker
So that will be part of the whole thing too.
00:21:54
Speaker
um I have like a whole playlist that I've been cultivating um over this last year because last, it's really hard to, for our last row, we all kind of like created like one giant playlist that we kept adding songs to. And you know, ever I love my team, but sometimes we had different music tastes. So like by the on that playlist, I was like, i can't listen to half the stuff out here. So I've been like cultivating my own playlist and I started like a year ago because ah also i feel like we panic.
00:22:25
Speaker
um Panic started it like a week before the row because we were so busy with other stuff we didn't even think about making playlists. So I've been like slowly cultivating like the perfect playlist that I've also been working out to lately. And it's it kind of is all over the place. I'm actually going to pull it up because it goes from like very unhinged house music because sometimes I've made this in preparation because I know I'm going to be up in the middle of the night trying to stay awake. um It goes from like unhinged house music to like Jefferson Airplane to Mariah Carey to all sorts of stuff, but like things that will like change it enough like that I will stay awake. So
00:23:12
Speaker
so Yeah, yeah, yeah. Oh, yeah. Like, so the last row, um we listened to the Chicago musical play, like, a soundtrack, like, on loop sometimes just because it was, everyone knew it, and we all, like, loved that musical, and we could just sing it together. That was always helpful. Yeah.
00:23:34
Speaker
Yeah. ah That's what I've been doing so far. And I've also just kind of been planning ah much more of what i was gonna I'm going to listen to this time because I feel like, well, Starlink has also changed the game with this. But before, like if you didn't download it before you left, you could not listen to a song.
00:23:55
Speaker
um And that was only like three years ago. um We like there was no there was no
Environmental and Psychological Challenges
00:24:01
Speaker
music after you left store. But now with Starlink, you can actually like you know, if you have a song on your mind and you must listen to it, you can actually use it and download it, which is crazy that this that the satellite technology has changed so much. really is changing ocean rowing a little bit because of that. Social media and with other platforms. Yeah.
00:24:24
Speaker
You can be, which is insane. Yeah. So my first row, we, I mean, we did not have, um a Starlink. The technology wasn't strong enough in there, really, but it has come in the last two years into play.
00:24:42
Speaker
But when you launched, you should know how to fix literally everything on your boat. You need to know Any, like you can't Google anything. So there's no like YouTube university. Like I took it upon myself to teach myself how to fix literally everything.
00:25:01
Speaker
But now, like, of course I know i have that all that information and I know it now and I'm, I'm not going to hopefully have to rely on finding a YouTube video to fix anything. But it is interesting now that Starlink is a concept. It really does take part of that out of the equation. That is super helpful.
00:25:20
Speaker
you Okay, so you talked about a previous row. What did that look like? and That was four of you guys doing the same row that you're doing by yourself, right? Essentially, yeah. So it was me and three other women that rode from California to Kauai, and that was 2024.
00:25:38
Speaker
he And what what was that like? I mean, obviously, forgot. Maybe we'll interview you afterwards, after this wild journey, just to compare, but how was...
00:25:50
Speaker
your mindset going into that versus how you're prepping now? So I was a skipper of that expedition. i was the one with the most backcountry experience. And I took on a lot of the weight of making sure everyone was safe and prepared and ready. And I definitely felt like I was like carrying the weight of my team a lot.
00:26:10
Speaker
They were amazing. We're still very close friends. And I'm so grateful for them. But I definitely felt like my position was... At times, really trying to just push them to be as good as they could be. So because you have no help out there, um i mean, it's a completely unsupported thing. There's no one that's going to come help you. There's no one that's going to save you from yourself. There's no one that's going to fix your stuff for you.
00:26:35
Speaker
um i took it upon myself to just really push them to be ready um and also carry them in a lot of ways to just make sure they were safe and informed and taken care of.
00:26:48
Speaker
um Where this one, because it's just me and um I feel comfortable in these spaces, I'm actually a lot more stressed. That's amazing, though, to be able to go into an epic adventure like this with so much confidence. That's good.
00:27:07
Speaker
Well, I know. Don't worry. Don't worry. I'm still very ah worried. And I do do not have the unending self-confidence in any way. I'm still, you know, self-doubt is prevalent.
00:27:19
Speaker
But I think that's important. and it's And it's there regardless of what you're doing. And it i it's just part of it. I think if you're not doubting yourself, you're probably not prepping ah adequately.
00:27:34
Speaker
for stuff like this. I, I
Inspiration and Legacy in Endurance Sports
00:27:35
Speaker
very much believe in like humility in the face of what you do, especially in dangerous spaces, kind of like Grand Canyon or, um, you know, the open ocean. If you are not afraid, you're not taking it seriously enough is my opinion. And it has always been my opinion and things like this.
00:27:51
Speaker
And, uh, if you, If you don't look at the thing with a lot of humility, knowing that you're the weakest link in the situation, for mother nature um you're not prepping, right? Any type of outdoor activity, things can change in a heartbeat. yeah But that's that's really cool that like you've done this route before and you sort of know what it could be like again.
00:28:21
Speaker
to take on this journey, but just in a different capacity one person. Yeah.
00:28:28
Speaker
Yeah. That being said, though, the solo is exponentially harder than ah a team row um to get off the coast. The reason there's only ah nine people that have done a solo off the mid-Pacific is because of how hard it is to get off the coast.
00:28:48
Speaker
you spend the first like two weeks just fighting the currents because the current wants to push you down towards Mexico and oftentimes the wind wants to push you back towards shore.
00:28:59
Speaker
So you're kind of waiting for the perfect weather window where there isn't a lot of wind pushing you back towards shore um and you just fight, fight, fight for the first two weeks to get offshore and when you're sleeping you're possibly losing some of the the miles that you've gained.
00:29:16
Speaker
So you're sleeping in small increments where as a team, you're always moving. So you're never really losing ground. um So there is a lot more strategy and um
00:29:28
Speaker
kind of overcoming of frustrations that come with this solo where it's almost inevitable to lose some of the distance you've made points throughout your day.
00:29:41
Speaker
It makes sense. Yeah, I was curious about that. Because when I was talking to Sarah about like what you what you're facing, what you're prepping for, i was just curious, like, one, hi, you are you going to sleep? It sounds like you're going to sleep, you need to sleep, obviously.
00:29:57
Speaker
But like that, that challenge of like, drifting somewhere where you're not quite meant to go but you still have to make that up too yeah you don't sleep in large chunks yeah but not in large chunks so like the team's row we were doing two hours on two hours off 24 hours a day so you're really only sleeping like maybe 90 minutes at a time like max four hours a day the solo is a little different because i don't have someone on the oars waiting for me um So I could sleep slightly longer, but if i sleep longer, I drift farther, which is never really great. So in reality, I might be sleeping less than I did even on the team's row in the first couple of weeks.
00:30:37
Speaker
But that's lucky because the first handful of weeks, probably two to three weeks, will be the hardest part of the whole thing. And at least that's when you're the most fresh. Like tools in your toolbox or like like, what do you do when you go into sleep deprivation?
00:30:54
Speaker
Like, how do you handle that?
00:30:58
Speaker
but With the team stuff, I would... verbally just assault them with questions sometimes. Like I would just be like, talk to me. i talk to me about anything. Tell me about your life.
00:31:10
Speaker
Please for the love of God, tell me things. um Um, and that I won't have, I won't have that with, uh, someone sitting there trying to keep me awake. Like we would just crack jokes and just try to keep each other awake. But This time I don't have that, which will be challenging. um That's why I have unhinged house music on that playlist. I have um caffeine tablets that i will I use at night for sure.
00:31:35
Speaker
ah That is a tool. um So I don't drink coffee the first couple weeks before the row, so I can kind of like wean myself off of it. And then the the caffeine becomes like a tool more than like ah a necessity.
00:31:51
Speaker
And then, um yeah, that's about it. That's what you got. that's I mean, those will definitely help you out. The unhinged house music, like,
00:32:03
Speaker
that'll get anybody awake and moving so I'm hoping that that works for you it sounds like you're really curious to hear like on the on the other side when the journey is complete like what new um like creative ideas did you have to come up with in the middle of the night to keep yourself awake and engaged and like yeah
00:32:26
Speaker
Yeah, we'll see what I come up with. Because I know that's going to be a really hard part alone. Will you be able to phone a friend with Starlink? It's a thing you have to face when you get there.
00:32:38
Speaker
Yeah.
00:32:40
Speaker
Yeah, you can do that. So, ah I mean, a Starlink essentially just... I won't have like unlimited... uh, data. I'm only really using it for sending videos back in like emergency situations. So I just felt like I'm just going be like streaming from the boat.
00:32:56
Speaker
Um, I'll have a sat phone. I'll have a sat phone and, um, you, I mean, Starlink essentially just creates wifi. So you could just call on WhatsApp to whoever you wanted.
00:33:10
Speaker
um but Yeah, I'll probably use this app phone a little bit more than I did on the team's row. I really didn't ah call anyone during that first row just because I was trying to focus so much on my team. And that was definitely a to the frustration of my family. when did your doing solo row come to mind?
00:33:32
Speaker
come to mind
00:33:34
Speaker
I was ah already like lamenting the loss of my first row before I even got off the boat. I remember just like sitting on the deck one night watching the sunset and like crying to my teammate Chris being like, Chris, it's almost over.
00:33:50
Speaker
ah So I knew I was going to do another row pretty pretty early on, but I had no plan. ah And like putting together a project like this is exhausting. Like it the amount of work is kind of staggering. If you look at all of the puzzle pieces and all of the money and fundraising that you have to do. So like when you get off of your first row, it's not very likely you're going to have the appetite to be like, I'm going to do a row right now. But I think it took me like a couple months to
00:34:25
Speaker
understand that that's what I wanted. um And then, you know, be delusional enough to convince myself that it would be fine the second time around doing it solo, even though like the fundraising and like all of the work was so much for our first row.
00:34:40
Speaker
um But, you know, you kind of like gaslight yourself that it's just going to be okay. And that's what i did. You're like, it's fine. Everything's fine. We're all going to be just fine.
00:34:51
Speaker
Well, the pro the thing was, um for my first row, we so we bought a boat from the Netherlands, and it was sold to us as, like, crossing ready. and when we picked it up in L.A., and I started going through the boat, I realized very quickly that it was in no way, shape, or form crossing ready. And we were, like, three, no, we were four months out from launch at that point in time.
00:35:17
Speaker
And I had to, like, essentially rebuild the boat four months out from launch. And I like every day I just kept finding new things that were broken,
00:35:27
Speaker
like which was horrifically stressful, but also taught me so much that now I can use for my this crossing is like, I just, I know so much more about these boats because of that. But during, during that period of time, it was probably one of the most stressful experiences of my life. Cause like every day I was just like standing in a driveway, like sobbing, being like, oh my God, and this is not going to happen.
00:35:54
Speaker
ah But, you I just, like, I had to rewire, it like, I had to replace all of the solar. I had to replace the AIS system, which is, like, a huge electronic system. I had to rebuild the water maker, which is, like, a desalinator. Like, I there was so i found holes and in the boat where, like, holes definitely should not be. And I was like, oh my.
00:36:17
Speaker
There's so many things. That like that made it so bad that like this time around, ah the experience has been a lot different. I got my now boat.
00:36:30
Speaker
Her name is Lily from a good friend of mine that I know taken care of his boats. I just got really lucky with the situation that he, the boat was available right when I needed it.
00:36:42
Speaker
And she's a beautiful boat and she's ready to go and she's perfect and amazing. um So I think I earned, from last time a little bit of grace. Yeah. yeah You're like, I picked the other one. This one has to be just kissed. Like, this has to be. That's awesome. Yeah. Yeah. And I've just been able to do, like, fun projects with it.
00:37:09
Speaker
Not giving you a run for your money. Yeah, that's good. So, yeah. A little less stressful for sure. Oh, I was just going to ask. like But I like, oh, a lot. Sorry.
00:37:23
Speaker
love Oh, I was just going to ask like. um You go, you go. Your rowboat. It's your turn. What makes it so that you can cross the ocean? Like, yeah, what about it makes it capable of doing that?
00:37:38
Speaker
Like, what about it? Yeah. yeah So it is, my boat is called a Rannick R25, my current boat. and These are boats that are specially made in the UK, designed to grow open ocean. so they are designed to ballasted with air and weight distribution in a way that they self-write automatically. So if you capsize because of how the cabins are made and the air pockets and like where you store the weight, your boat will just roll back up, which we did capsize on our first row and it worked. So it was great.
00:38:19
Speaker
Oh, nice. Yeah, and then so the boat also has what's called a desalinator, so it makes water. and It's a reverse osmosis situation.
00:38:31
Speaker
So it takes salt water and kind of squeezes all the salt out, and you're left with like a little bit of fresh water. And it just keeps doing that. takes a lot of power, ah but the power is from a solar system.
00:38:46
Speaker
So I have two 100 amp hour lithium batteries and 260 watts of solar. I have VHF radios have VHF. i have phhf radios and i have and An AIS system, which is essentially a system that talks to boats in the area that says, hey, I'm here, you're over there, let's try not to hit each other, which is always great. Smart.
00:39:12
Speaker
Definitely need that. Definitely ah necessity. Yeah, yeah that's kind of the essentials of an ocean rowing boat, in my opinion.
00:39:24
Speaker
that's Yeah, it's pretty good. I mean, yeah, gonna keep you safe. The part about it, if you capsize, it flips back over, it's pretty cool. Because that's something that like, I mean, I'd be worried about like the ocean is not kind sometimes. And so if it flips, you know, you hope you can flip it back over. But if it's self flipping, like and you're by yourself, do you're not gonna be like, all right, here we go. Me, myself and I.
00:39:50
Speaker
Yeah, engineering is pretty cool. Yeah, and it's pretty, i mean, the boat is elegantly designed just because it is just the use of buoyancy of air and then weight distribution. So you all your gear and weight is stored pretty low. So it's just, um just does the thing all by itself.
00:40:08
Speaker
That's pretty cool. Are you gonna, do you have lights on the boat? Like any LED, any fun lights you could like put on with your crazy house music? That was actually something i was thinking about. I was like, oh, it would be nice to have some lights.
00:40:24
Speaker
Because we have like one light that you always have to keep on on deck, which like other boats can see. But i was thinking it would be like the brighter, the better to keep you awake. You know, yeah I was getting thinking about getting like those string lights to just strobe myself. I mean, so then you have like different colors and stuff. just feel seem different music just really partying out there is this a road any sailboat passing is just gonna be like what is that you you could hallucinate further or actually stay awake i either one
00:41:05
Speaker
So besides who knows for like track current that you spoke about a little bit earlier, what other like environmental challenges and things do you have to prepare for and keep track of?
00:41:22
Speaker
um Well, obviously the weather is a huge part of all of this. Like it can change pretty dramatically, pretty quickly. um There are, for the first three weeks, you're going through, so you're crossing directly like a shipping channel. Okay. um Where these big cargo ships are crossing. and you're sleeping in that shipping channel. So it's kind of spooky. And sometimes those cargo ships are not um significantly manned. So there's points in times where they're not really looking at their AIS, um where we got really close to a cargo ship on my last row. So that is a little spooky.
00:42:00
Speaker
They're... they' It's not infrequent that this happens to ocean rowers, more often in the Atlantic, but they do have problems with, so like you're going so slow that ah like you get like ve vegetation growth on the bottom of your boat and little fish are like attracted to that. And then marlins come and try to hunt those fish. And it's not infrequent that you'll get like...
00:42:28
Speaker
a marlin strike, which is really unfortunate. Oh my gosh. So like, it'll put a hole in your boat, which doesn't happen as often in the Pacific because it is colder water. So you get less growth, but it does happen, which is unfortunate. and some Okay.
00:42:45
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah, for sure. that something that you get excited about? Because you're like, every other week. whim and stuff Or is it like,
00:42:55
Speaker
Yes and no, but like there's always that like feeling in the back of your head like there's— So if you haven't looked, um you probably haven't looked. But if you don't know— There's a lot of upsets out there. ah like Those are like big ones.
00:43:11
Speaker
ah Yeah, so there's this path that is essentially the path that I take. um to get to Hawaii, there's this kind of like notorious path of like the great whites. And there's this one point kind of like midway in between Hawaii and California that's called the Great White Cafe, where like great whites just kind of hang out.
00:43:32
Speaker
Yeah. So there's just a lot of sharks. So like, ah yes, like at the like the whimsical part of him was like, oh, that sounds amazing. And then the like my very like worst case scenario brain is always like, there's sharks everywhere.
00:43:47
Speaker
I thought I would be thinking about Oh my gosh. It's not that there's a spot that's called the Great White Cafe. Like, you feel like really did we have a new movie?
00:44:00
Speaker
That's wild. That's so cool. and that i I'll definitely think more of a musical for you because that's... Yeah, I'll try. Have you seen The Life of Pi? I'll try to like hype myself up every time. There you go. What'd you say? Have seen The Life of Pi? It's like this movie...
00:44:16
Speaker
Yeah. Where it's like those little whimsical like, I don't know, I feel like they're in the middle of like this boat in the ocean and all that stuff. and I'm like, what's so nice. That's what you need to think of. I will.
00:44:27
Speaker
I'll channel that. There's pretty like healthy amount of like fear and like practical consideration and also like joy and like whimsical, like adventurous side of it. So.
00:44:43
Speaker
You yeah have to find that balance. You can't be completely naive of the sharks. Yeah, yeah, you can have both. Balance. I know. i There you go. They need to make like a shark. They're there. You should look down before you get in.
00:44:58
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah, that's it. Well, we need to figure out how sharks can exactly how to communicate. Which impossible. Somehow we can pick up on that frequency and like have a beacon, but yeah.
00:45:12
Speaker
ah
00:45:14
Speaker
There it is. There you go. I think they communicate more like electrically. Like they have that like big bulb in the front of their nose that's like, kind I think like conducted. And I think yeah that is awesome in some degree.
00:45:29
Speaker
Yeah, they're they're really cool actually. Yeah, just have to have a conversation with them. You stay over there. I'll stay over here and we'll be good.
00:45:41
Speaker
because I'm intimidating to the shark. because You might be. pop up your chest maybe it it'll work. It'd be i hope so. um so
00:45:54
Speaker
So. Could work, man. never would say cry Never mind. um So what what will, like when you're out there, like what will like a typical hour um cycle look for you
00:46:13
Speaker
Okay. So I'll probably get up around midnight and row for a couple hours. um Maybe try to get a little bit more sleep that night. So like maybe row for three hours, sleep for an hour, get up either row or start doing morning chores. Like you have to clean off the solar panels. You got to make some hot water. Maybe I won't make some hot water. I've been told to just forego that and eat cold food. I haven't decided if that if I'm going to be that hardcore or not. um ah Because it's just backpacking meals and cold backpacking meals are so much worse.
00:46:54
Speaker
Boil a little water for the whole day. um Eat some food, force yourself to eat because it's a big thing of this whole thing. It's just making sure you're getting enough calories. yeah And then row for another like three hours or so.
00:47:09
Speaker
um Take a little break here and there to eat. Do some navigation. So I'd probably talk to my weather router, figure out our next waypoint, talk about what to expect in the next couple of days. um Check in with a couple people.
00:47:28
Speaker
and then eat some more food and grow more. um In between this, you're trying to keep your skin pretty clean so the salt wreaks havoc on your skin. So you're using baby wipes to kind of like wipe off every bit and nook and cranny because you get these like horrible salt sores and rashes and stuff that are pretty horrendous. um Yeah, I had some pretty bad...
00:47:54
Speaker
and problems last row that I have learned from and I think I will be doing different things to try to address that but by the end um like we call it hamburger butt because that's exactly what it is it's horrible yeah i mean yeah you're sitting there for yeah days hours So is there anything that you can do to mitigate but like some of that discomfort when you're out there? like do you have like a like will you have a routine for like stretching or taking care of your body in other ways?
00:48:30
Speaker
Oh, I wish I had a better one. No, sometimes, i mean, yes and no, but really, you are kind of going through a practice of like deprivation and all sorts. like You're not able to eat enough food to keep up with the man, so you will lose weight.
00:48:47
Speaker
You are not able to sleep as much as you want to be strong. like You are kind of losing all And on all fronts when it comes to this stuff. So like you can do like really the skincare is like the biggest thing. yeah i'm Trying to avoid those salt sores because that can be the most painful experience.
00:49:08
Speaker
um But to be honest with with this row is most of the time you are going to fight a losing battle and you're going to lose weight and you're going to you'll never be rested and you'll never be stronger than the moment you leave land.
00:49:25
Speaker
Um, so that is kind of like loading on the front end has been a big deal for me. Um, with just like the past year and a half, like I have put all of my effort into getting as much muscle on me as possible, like eating in the right ways that will like help me with like being strong. So, because you will lose muscle, you will lose strength, like,
00:49:51
Speaker
ah Just being as strong as possible. So like when I start to weaken, it's not going to be detrimental. Yeah. um And then, you know, I think more with it's not necessarily taking care of your body, but taking care of your spirit and your your mind is like almost more important in these things, because like there's nothing really I can do about the tired and the hungry um but there's something I can do about the happy um so I I know i have good tricks for myself like I know what motivates me and I know what like self-rights a kind of a down situation um and I think that just comes from you know long trips and self-regulation through those things and like doing hard stuff repetitively.
00:50:36
Speaker
ah So like I'm super food motivated. So like what I like to do is bring like celebration treats. Like, you know, those empanada pies, those pocket pies. Those are great.
00:50:47
Speaker
Those are, yes. Yeah. So i'll I'll have one of those like every week, like i caught a Friday pocket pie. Cause you can't have it every day cause then it stops being yeah important. But like, it's those little things for me that I know are Yeah.
00:51:02
Speaker
And they're silly and they don't make like, they don't really change the situation, but they change everything sometimes. Yeah. Hey, a little bit of happy goes a long way. Yeah.
00:51:15
Speaker
That's wild. I love that trick. I'm i'm ah i'm a huge proponent of hey, is there treat? I'm in. Yeah. I mean, I love pocket pies for skiing. I love them for everything. I know.
00:51:29
Speaker
very ideal um i've had like a little pocket tamales they're so good they're delicious great skiing also but not a dessert also delicious right so yes different yes cool well definitely gonna have to try that one no yes you're right see different different pies oh And you so you've done ocean rowing for a while now and kind of had experience and in it now. um What is the biggest misunderstood part about this sport in general that people just kind of are like, you're fine, or whatever it may be.
00:52:16
Speaker
um I think with, like, most endurance sports, it's... it's ah You probably guys would probably agree that, like it's not necessarily about, like, the physical fitness. It's more about the the the heart and, like, the the mind of the person.
00:52:32
Speaker
um and I think... when it especially when it comes to like a team's row or a solo, ah just like the work you put in on the front end with especially your team or the work you put in on the front end to like understanding yourself and know what your triggers are in like hard situations and how to like soothe yourself out of them is really important. Like I've learned that a lot with myself and taking the time to understand that because like
00:53:06
Speaker
In any type of long, hard thing, you are going to have, you know, the highs and then the really deep lows. And like, that's just inevitable. You're always going to have that like valley you have to trudge through with any long effort with anything. And like it comes and not being afraid of that that valley, but like knowing how to accept it, embrace it, and then move on from it and not live in it um has always been something that I've tried to work on and get better at.
00:53:34
Speaker
um And it was really hard with groups of people, especially on a team, to try to like manage when those valleys do not come at the same time. And then you have to like be navigating that all with everyone.
00:53:47
Speaker
But when you're alone, I think just knowing, kind of seeing the warning signs of where you're at in your brain um with those hard moments and then knowing how to get yourself to a better place independently is huge for performance but also just like your experience of the trip. yourself Before this solo adventure or
00:54:13
Speaker
Well, my team and I did a lot together. we actually did like a three, think was a four-day endurance training together before our first row that like was designed to push us and like find cracks in our relationships. And we really worked through that. But...
00:54:30
Speaker
but but For myself, um I think in my daily life and also when I'm doing hard things, like I said, like, you you know that valley is going to come. yeah And um practicing, usually I look at myself and I ask, him like, what type of person do I want to be after this is over? Like, who do I want to say, like, I am and how did handle this? And that was especially big with my team. yeah.
00:54:59
Speaker
It was like, okay, I'm fucking frustrated or I have these feelings and I'm overwhelmed and all these emotions. Like, I try to, like, take myself and, like, remove myself from the situation and ask, like, who do i want to be when this is over? Like, who do I want to say I was?
00:55:15
Speaker
um So I try to do that even with just myself where I don't, like, you know, you... are faced with a challenge, something breaks, you smash your hand, you, you know, X, Y, z something really frustrating happens. Do you lose it or do you kind of work yourself through it, accept that that's just part of the thing and don't let it ruin the rest of your day? Or do you sit in it and mope and do do X, y Z that just makes the problem worse?
00:55:44
Speaker
um And I think I try to practice that with everything because, you know, anything in your life can piss you off or frustrate you, but like weighing what actually matters to like the reality of the situation has always been something I try to practice and I'm not always good at. Like I still get frustrated and lose my temper, mopey. Yeah. And every time you try to learn, every time i try to be the person I want to be more. You've experienced those things. You've asked yourself those questions so many times that
00:56:16
Speaker
like you have some tools to get yourself and navigate those places and it's a place of constant learning still. as Yeah.
00:56:28
Speaker
Yeah, and and I've also made choices that I'm not proud of in like those situations too. And just, you know, you look back and you're like, hi wish I handled that differently. Or I wish I didn't talk to that person that way. Or I wish I, you know, didn't let that ruin my entire day. or I wish i like didn't give up.
00:56:46
Speaker
um And a lot of failure has like made that mindset for me. Yeah. No, that's, that's super impactful on like how you live your life, how you're going in this adventure too. Like,
00:57:00
Speaker
like I mean, I guess speaking of impact, what is it? What is it this going to mean to you personally to to achieve this and be the first American woman and young woman to complete this crossing?
00:57:12
Speaker
Because that's that's what I believe in. And I know you got that belief, too. You are going to do this. You're going to crush it. But what is that going to mean for you and especially the young women that are going to be watching your journey?
00:57:26
Speaker
Well, for me, um in my life, I have deeply, deeply cherished role models um for myself. Like, I've sought them out. I have kind of, like, hyper-focused on women that I think are amazing. And I've either harassed them into being my friend or, like, you know, just...
00:57:47
Speaker
taken their advice to heart. um And I have a handful of women that I, I will always hold up on a pedestal. um Not because I um am not realistic on what they are, but I just think what they hold for me is means so much more than, than they totally know. um And because i know that at least for myself, I can only speak for myself that role models are so important. I think that,
00:58:12
Speaker
Like, that's the whole point of doing these things. And that's a whole point of like, for me, for records or for trying to push yourself is like, you're just setting up the stage for someone else to want to push harder or like be better than you one day. And I want that to happen for someone else or like someone that sees my role, because for the same reasons um I want this, it's the same reason I am here doing this. It's like, I saw other women doing ocean rowing. I actually followed, um, a team, a couple of teams, but one team, um, in particular called the Lat 35 team, um, that currently have the women's four, um, record for the mid Pacific. And they were amazing. And they inspired me to do my first row.
00:58:55
Speaker
Um, and they probably don't even know that, but, um, i I know that because of What they did, i wanted to do the same thing. And I hope that that is something that can push other people to want to do the same thing. And also just like, I want someone to want to like take this record from me if I get it. Like I want i want that to be a motivator for people. I think that's why things like this are there um to push the people that come next, like especially the women that come next to be better and to want to be better and to so push themselves even harder than I was able to. Yeah.
00:59:36
Speaker
yeah Like that, the story of doing something so freaking incredible to inspire others to then beat that record that that person just set is such a commonality between like women's sports, it's inspiring and just really cool to see that, like, we're stronger and faster and better when we encourage each other and push each other.
01:00:01
Speaker
um
01:00:02
Speaker
Exactly. I love that. yeah, they're there to be broken. That's the whole point.
01:00:08
Speaker
Do you have any advice um to either your younger self or any women or anybody listening right now to get into endurance sports and like just do it essentially like any advice you got
01:00:27
Speaker
um i am not special in any way i was not super athletic i was not I'm not anything more than like another woman next to me. It's just i I got inspired by a thing and I wanted it. And anyone can have that same inspiration and go after the things they want and be successful at it. it's It's just that. It's just the want and and then the commitment to the thing.
01:00:58
Speaker
It's not a special trait that people do or do or do not have in any way. Yeah, that's good. It's just, yeah, how how badly do you want to chase something in front of you?
01:01:15
Speaker
Because it's it's really only up to you and other motivators and kind of the fire you light in your butt. Awesome. well is there any is there anything else that you would like folks to know about you? Any like last thoughts or, don't know.
01:01:36
Speaker
Mike's yours.
01:01:38
Speaker
I mean, to support you, we have all the support for your upcoming adventure as well. Yeah, i I just want people to know too, because i ocean rowing such a small sport, especially in the United States, and I really want more people to try to be interested in it. Or if you are interested in it, please just email me and I can give you all of the information on how to do something silly as well um but yeah i it's a very small community it's a very small niche weird sport and if people have any interest or want to know um this the steps to get into it um they can they can reach out to me either on instagram or email me and easy that's awesome that's really cool well we'll definitely be following you and
01:02:30
Speaker
Oh no, maybe Sarah and I will get out on a ocean rowboat. Yeah, I know. It sounds actually if you wave the freaking... Careful, you might love it.
01:02:42
Speaker
Like, are you coming back to... Careful. like Yeah. yeah's Wait a minute. play Does that sound like... just to know
01:02:51
Speaker
yeah Yeah, I live there. the boat will not The boat will not be back in BB. The boat o will go back to her previous owner, Owen, because he has plans for her. Okay. Yeah, yeah, yeah. He's not done either.
01:03:07
Speaker
so there might be a like trading situation back Oh, I can't wait for that. That's awesome. Yeah.
01:03:14
Speaker
Cool. Well, thanks so much for joining us on this episode. I think like ah me personally speaking, I feel very inspired to go out, do something hard and like challenge myself. And like you said, like just want something so bad, just get after it and go for it. Because like many of the listeners, I think we're all like just normal people that want to do cool shit. So yeah. yeah Thank you guys. It was wonderful talking to you.