Mar 13, 2018
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Megan Biging is an ocean rower.
This was (and kinda still is) so far out of my realm of knowledge that I couldn’t even conceive of what ocean rowing is.
Megan, along with her rowing partner, Vicki Otmani, rowed (I mean r-o-w-e-d) across the Pacific Ocean, from Monterey, California to Honolulu, Hawaii. They spent 57 days on the water before crossing the finish line. And in doing so, they set a World Record and that was for a female pair in a Classic rowing boat having navigated that passage.
Yeah.
Pretty crazy.
Though there are some people who have rowed the oceans on their own, meaning they are not part of an event or race, Megan and Vicki rowed as part of the Great Pacific Race. They raced in 2016 against 7 other teams, so there were either teams that included two and four members, and only six teams ultimately finished that year, Megan and Vicki being two of them.
Can you imagine? I could not.
Be sure to check out the show notes on the Be Bold Podcast website to see a photo of the boat. If you don’t know what an ocean rowboat looks like, it’ll blow your mind.
Then, when you hear her story, it’ll blow your mind further to think that they rowed their way for 2,400+ miles over two months through hurricanes in that boat. I still can’t fathom it.
Megan and I had quite a lengthy conversation, mostly because I had so many questions about logistics and trying to understand the how and why and what that led her to making the decision to spend 11 months preparing for it and then two months on the water. And then what it was like to come home after what was truly a grand adventure.
Even if you’re like me and have no idea what ocean rowing is about, I know you’ll really enjoy this conversation. Because ultimately, it’s about a person who had an idea that she could do something—and even she admits this was not her “dream.” But she warmed up to the idea after seeing how excited her friend was about it. And even though on paper it looked like a ridiculous idea, she couldn’t help but follow her gut that this was an opportunity that she could not miss.
She does not have any regrets but as you’ll hear, returning home was a bit of a let down. Of course, you can’t do something epic like that and then not feel a bit disappointed or depressed when you return home. It happens to me after every great trip I take!
Enjoy this conversation with Megan Biging!
Connect with Megan:
Website | Instagram | Facebook
Links/books/people mentioned:
A Plastic Ocean (Amazon)
Vicki Otmani
Great Pacific Race
Chris
Martin
Roz Savage
Connect with me:
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WanderTours
Be Bold
Podcast (Facebook)
Be Bold
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Twitter