Braving 180km of sea for charity
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If you’ve ever had to row 1000 metres in a workout, you know real pain.
It is tough, intense exercise that leaves the average person breathless and nauseous (I’m nauseous just thinking about it).
Imagine then, multiplying that by 180. Yes – you read that correctly – 180 kilometres. That, my friends, is the George Bass Surfboat Marathon: the Longest, Toughest Surfboat Race in the world, carried out over seven gruelling days.
Luckily, Harriet Walker is no stranger to a challenge.
She’s competed as a figure competitor and fitness model as well as in powerlifting, Crossfit and strong man competitions. She also completed the George Bass Surfboat Marathon 2 years ago and from January 3 to January 9 2016, Harriet will be rowing the Marathon once again as part of the Broulee Caps Crew.
In 2014 when Harriet was training for the event, her dad Greg was diagnosed with Gastrointestinal (GI) cancer, and sadly passed away just four months later – eight weeks before the race was due to commence.
“To say this was one of the toughest challenges I had faced is an understatement as I was working through both the physical and mental aspects of this seven day race and in very thick grief from the loss of my dad” says Harriet.
“It’s been two years and I wanted to do something to make a contribution and get some meaning out of the whole situation.”
Harriet is fundraising as part of The Gutsy Challenge, raising money for the GI Cancer Institute. At the time of writing, she is just $700 off her target of $5000. The money will go towards funding vital research to save, extend and improve the quality of life for the 24,600 people currently diagnosed with GI cancer each year in Australia.
There are 12 women in the Broulee Caps Crew, with nine of the athletes competing in the George Bass Surfboat Marathon.
“We all train together, we row in Canberra and up until last week we were doing four sessions a week, similar to how you’d train for a half or full marathon: there’s a mixture of short tempo and sprints, and then long rows that go for up to an hour and a half.”
“We’ve also done a couple of long rows from Batemans Bay to Broulee just to get our first practice in.”
The race has been run since 1975 and takes place over seven days, with each leg ranging from 19 to 36 kilometres, taking between two to five hours per day.
“We row 20 minutes on and 20 minutes off each, and we’ve got a support boat that goes along beside us as well as a little rubber ducky boat which drops us in and out of the water. Four girls are rowing at any one time. After our 20 minutes is up, two of us will lock our oars in and the boat will keep on moving with the back two rowing, and then we go into the water. Then two other girls get dropped ahead and they sit in the water until the boat comes up to them, and then you grab the boat, hook your leg over and roll in, and then you start rowing and then the same happens with the back pair – they fall out and get replaced. That happens every 20 minutes.”
With just three days to go before the event, Harriet is preparing by stocking up on food, preparing to feed 15 people (including nine hungry athletes) for seven days, with five meals a day.
Logistics aside, is she feeling the pressure?
“I’ve done it once before so I know I can make the distance, this time it’s going to feel a lot different. Mentally it’s very challenging, you know when you get half way through a workout and you’re like ‘why did I do this?’ but I’m feeling a lot more centred and zen this time around.”
It’s not all smooth sailing however, with Harriet leaving room for the unexpected.
“You don’t know what you’re going to get, the conditions can change day to day, injury happens, we’ve got nine girls in a boat – there’s all sorts of things that you have to navigate as the week goes by. Really, it’s just about looking after yourself and keeping that open mind to what other people are feeling as well – everyone’s tired and cranky and sore!”
If you would like to help Harriet and the Broulee Caps Crew reach their fundraising target of $5000 for the GI Cancer Institute, you can donate by visiting her fundraising page.
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