Bentham mum to take on world record-breaking solo Atlantic rowing challenge

Thursday, 4 January 2024 14:21

By Greg Lambert @greglam72

Viv Barclay wants to take on a cross-Atlantic row single-handed

A mum from Bentham is aiming to break a world record as the oldest woman to row the Atlantic unassisted.

Viv Barclay is trying to raise £120,000 to achieve her dream of a 3000-mile row across the ocean at the age of 59.

Viv, who says she's "always been a bit of an adventurer", will take on this epic challenge to raise funds for The Menopause Society.

She aims to tackle the cross-Atlantic challenge as part of The World's Toughest Row, an annual race starting in La Gomera in The Canaries and ending on the other side of the Atlantic in English Harbour in Antigua, in December.

Less than 1700 people have rowed this route so far and only a handful of these have been women.

"I believe in inspiring women, especially those experiencing menopause, by being a gate-opener and doing something that others haven’t done thus far," she said.

"Watching womankind do incredible things and stand up and be counted is what has inspired me in the past.

"In rowing 3,000 miles across the Atlantic solo, my hope is to inspire women to defy stereotypes and limiting beliefs, go beyond what was thought was possible for them and be more of who they really are.

"In 2016, I was inspired by four middle-aged women from York, the Yorkshire Rows, who became the oldest female team to row 3000 miles across the Atlantic unassisted in the World’s Toughest Row. My thought at the time was, ‘If they can do that, so can I – I know I can do that.’

"It will be the hardest thing I’ve ever done. But we humans don’t do things because they are easy. At the end of it, I will know that I’ve achieved something big, something meaningful, something that I can look back on and say, ‘I did that and it opened a door for others.’ And it will feel worth it."