{"id":7968,"date":"2023-10-05T09:07:24","date_gmt":"2023-10-05T07:07:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/danihofstetter.ch\/true-grit-what-it-takes-to-row-across-the-atlantic-ocean-in-74-days\/"},"modified":"2023-10-05T09:07:24","modified_gmt":"2023-10-05T07:07:24","slug":"true-grit-what-it-takes-to-row-across-the-atlantic-ocean-in-74-days","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/danihofstetter.ch\/en\/true-grit-what-it-takes-to-row-across-the-atlantic-ocean-in-74-days\/","title":{"rendered":"True grit: what it takes to row across the Atlan\u00adtic Oce\u00adan in 74 days"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n

Gabi Schen\u00adkel was only the4th<\/sup> woman in the world that finis\u00adhed the Talis\u00adker Atlan\u00adtic Chall\u00adenge solo. She star\u00adted rowing on Decem\u00adber 12 2019 in La Gome\u00adra and arri\u00adved on Febru\u00adary 25 2020 in Anti\u00adgua. Tha\u00adt\u2019s 5282kms in 74 days. I wan\u00adted to find out what it takes to finish such a chall\u00adenge and of cour\u00adse how Gabi plan\u00adned and exe\u00adcu\u00adted her performance.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n

Ath\u00adle\u00adtes often check out a race cour\u00adse on Goog\u00adle maps. When Gabi Schen\u00adkel does that to get a glim\u00adpse of the Talis\u00adker Atlan\u00adtic Chall\u00adenge, she keeps zoo\u00adming out so long that the map swit\u00adches from 2D to 3D\u2026 I guess one can tell, she\u2019s in for the long run.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

<\/figure>\r\n\r\n

Actual\u00adly, the long run is some\u00adthing the cha\u00adris\u00adma\u00adtic osteo\u00adpath from W\u00e4dens\u00adwil (Zurich) knows all too well. She\u2019s been run\u00adning ultra-mara\u00adthons and trail runs for many years and under\u00adstands how to push her body and her mind bey\u00adond what seems possible.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

It strikes me how unpre\u00adten\u00adtious and rela\u00adxed Gabi approa\u00adches an unfa\u00adthomable task like the Atlan\u00adtic Chall\u00adenge. She first deci\u00added to do this race and then only star\u00adted with rowing in sum\u00admer 2018. This makes this achie\u00adve\u00adment even more mind-blowing.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

After count\u00adless hours on the lake of Zurich to learn pro\u00adper rowing skills, she also prac\u00adti\u00adsed a lot with the Dutch manu\u00adfac\u00adtu\u00adrer of her boat. Her ves\u00adsel for crossing the Atlan\u00adtic has not much in com\u00admon with the regu\u00adlar skiff and resem\u00adbles more a James Bond submarine.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

\r\n
Pic\u00adtu\u00adre Cre\u00addit: Swiss-1s<\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n\r\n

The boat com\u00adpri\u00adses a nar\u00adrow cabin to sleep, solar panels to power various track\u00ading devices, tele\u00adcom\u00admu\u00adni\u00adca\u00adti\u00adon, a litt\u00adle desa\u00adli\u00adna\u00adti\u00adon machi\u00adne and of cour\u00adse a coo\u00adker to prepa\u00adre warm meals from dried expe\u00addi\u00adti\u00adon food.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

To me, nutri\u00adtion was of par\u00adti\u00adcu\u00adlar inte\u00adrest. The race rules requi\u00adre 60 kcal per kg body weight\/\u200bday, in her case 3600kcal\/\u200bday. Gabi told remem\u00adbers that this did\u00adn\u2019t help much. First she got sea\u00adsick and then fell real\u00adly ill and had to take anti\u00adbio\u00adtics for a few days. She was\u00adn\u2019t able to stick to her race plan and was coas\u00adting along for seve\u00adral days, slee\u00adping 10 hours a day, try\u00ading to recover.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

Her Ultra-expe\u00adri\u00adence lets her deal with cur\u00adve\u00adballs like the\u00adse in a much con\u00adtrol\u00adled way. \u00abTrust your body and lis\u00adten careful\u00adly, what he tells you,\u00bb she says, \u00aband then of cour\u00adse set\u00adbacks like this force you to face your per\u00adso\u00adnal truth. Do I quit the very moment I missed my actu\u00adal goal or do I keep going becau\u00adse I know, I do my very best every day and tha\u00adt\u2019s what counts all along?\u00bb Com\u00adpe\u00adting in Ultras always comes down to a spi\u00adri\u00adtu\u00adal side if things. It seems like the\u00adre are no boun\u00adda\u00adries to what a human body can achie\u00adve, when you are in tune with your mind. This might be the reason why so many ath\u00adle\u00adtes turn to the\u00adse mas\u00adsi\u00adve races \u2013 to bet\u00adter con\u00adnect with oneself.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

For Gabi the big\u00adgest reason to go to the extre\u00admes is to be as clo\u00adse to natu\u00adre as you can be. Every time she toes the line, she does\u00adn\u2019t real\u00adly know what to expect, but it always comes down to an exhi\u00adla\u00adra\u00adting jour\u00adney to natu\u00adre \u2013 inclu\u00adding her own nature.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

She remi\u00adnis\u00adces of spe\u00adcial encoun\u00adters out on the sea with a wha\u00adle coming past her litt\u00adle boat, with birds and dol\u00adphins. \u00abThe\u00adre\u2019s a cer\u00adtain con\u00adnec\u00adtion with natu\u00adre\u2019s crea\u00adtures \u2013 almost like you need to dis\u00adcon\u00adnect from the fren\u00adzy of the modern world to build new con\u00adnec\u00adtions to our roots.\u00bb<\/p>\r\n\r\n

Gabi knows, Ultra is not for ever\u00adyo\u00adne. She gets dis\u00admis\u00adsi\u00adve comm\u00adents from stran\u00adgers about her endea\u00advours often but igno\u00adres doub\u00adters. \u00abIf I can inspi\u00adre and encou\u00adra\u00adge only a few to get acti\u00adve and beco\u00adme more accoun\u00adta\u00adble for their own actions, I\u2019m very hap\u00adpy.\u00bb The\u00adse values are a red thread through Gabi\u2019s life. She dedi\u00adca\u00adted her per\u00adfor\u00admance to Oce\u00adan Care, an orga\u00adniza\u00adti\u00adon com\u00admit\u00adted to mari\u00adne wild\u00adlife pro\u00adtec\u00adtion as well as Pla\u00ads\u00adtic Pat\u00adrol, a UK based orga\u00adniza\u00adti\u00adon com\u00admit\u00adted to redu\u00adcing the amount of pla\u00ads\u00adtic in water\u00adways. Her pas\u00adsi\u00adon next to being all out\u00addoor\u00adsy is osteo\u00adpa\u00adthy and hel\u00adping others over\u00adco\u00adme their issues. And after the long break she took to row across the Atlan\u00adtic, she will reopen her practice.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

After over\u00adco\u00adming her initi\u00adal health issues in the race, she could exe\u00adcu\u00adte the race to a T. One major suc\u00adcess fac\u00adtor for her was reco\u00advery: she slept a mini\u00admum of 6\u200a\u2013\u200a8 hours every night and spent a lot of time self-care, mas\u00adsa\u00adging her arms and hands dai\u00adly and taking extra care of irri\u00adta\u00adted skin from her boat\u2019s seat or the oars. Coo\u00adking a meal every day with desa\u00adli\u00adna\u00adted water and eating of it throug\u00adhout the day nou\u00adris\u00adhed her and to top it off she used a cus\u00adto\u00admi\u00adzed micro\u00adnu\u00adtri\u00adent sup\u00adple\u00adment from LOEWI. They must have figu\u00adred out the \u00absecre\u00adte sau\u00adce\u00bb for Gabi: 74 days wit\u00adhout any cramps, no excess fati\u00adgue and never a day of DOMS while cove\u00adring 50\u200a\u2013\u200a70km\u2019s per day in 12\u200a\u2013\u200a14 hours speaks for itself.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

<\/figure>\r\n\r\n

She finis\u00adhed the race after two and a half months and lost a mere 5.4kg of body weight. This is asto\u00adnis\u00adhing, even more so, sin\u00adce she had big\u00adger los\u00adses mid\u00adway, after being sick and then reco\u00adver\u00aded along the way.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

\r\n
Gabi with an arse\u00adnal of mate\u00adri\u00adal to con\u00adquer the Atlan\u00adtic<\/em>, Pic\u00adtu\u00adre Cre\u00addit: Swiss-1s<\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n\r\n

\u00abI\u2019m over\u00adwhel\u00admed with the cur\u00adrent media atten\u00adti\u00adon I get. I\u2019m not used to this and espe\u00adci\u00adal\u00adly after spen\u00adding such a long time on my own, it will take some time, until I arri\u00adve back in socie\u00adty and it all sinks in bet\u00adter\u00bb, Gabi says. \u00abI don\u2019t think I am spe\u00adcial, nor have I done any\u00adthing impos\u00adsi\u00adble. I think bar\u00adriers exist only in our heads.\u00bb It must be this unbe\u00adlie\u00adva\u00adble spi\u00adrit or the humi\u00adli\u00adty of her that is so cat\u00adching, mean\u00adwhile she has an eye on her com\u00adpu\u00adter, eager\u00adly wai\u00adting to find out if she made it on the com\u00adpe\u00adti\u00adtor list of a 246km ultra-mara\u00adthon in Greece.<\/p>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Gabi Schen\u00adkel was only the4th woman in the world that finis\u00adhed the Talis\u00adker Atlan\u00adtic Challenge\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":7969,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wp_typography_post_enhancements_disabled":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[145],"tags":[200,203,206,208,207,204,202,201,205,209],"class_list":{"0":"post-7968","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-uncategorized","8":"tag-athlete-en","9":"tag-atlantic-en","10":"tag-endurance-en","11":"tag-goal-en","12":"tag-grit-en","13":"tag-ocean-en","14":"tag-rowing-en","15":"tag-talsiker-atlantic-challenge-en","16":"tag-ultra-en","17":"tag-winner-en"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/danihofstetter.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7968","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/danihofstetter.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/danihofstetter.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/danihofstetter.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/danihofstetter.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7968"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/danihofstetter.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7968\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7970,"href":"https:\/\/danihofstetter.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7968\/revisions\/7970"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/danihofstetter.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7969"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/danihofstetter.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7968"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/danihofstetter.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7968"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/danihofstetter.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7968"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}