Trio hope to have set new world record
WINDSOR: A trio of Windsor-based women look to have set a new world record after taking on an indoor rowing challenge.
Team Excelsioar members Caroline Hague, Rachel Smillie and Nicki Kelly took on the attempt at Windsor Royal Shopping Centre on Sunday, March 13 and achieved the greatest distance by a team of females on an indoor rower in a 24-hour period.
As well as celebrating International Women’s Day earlier in the week, the team carried out the attempt as part of their training for the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge 2023.
The challenge will see the trio row unsupported for 3,000 miles across the Atlantic, raising money for Thames Hospice and The DASH Charity.
The original world record of 253,585 metres was set in 2019 by a team of 10 women in the United States.
The trio smashed this record
at 7am – three hours before they were due to finish at 10am – setting a new world record of 286,038 metres.
The team are now awaiting confirmation of the record from Guinness World Records.
Through their efforts the team aim to show women and girls of any age that they are able to take on any challenge.
Rachel said: “We knew the challenge would be hard, but the night shifts were tougher than we’d expected.
“Maintaining recordbreaking pace at 3am is no joke. We were really spurred on by the girls and women we spoke to throughout the day and by their interest in both our record attempt and our Atlantic campaign.”
The team, who met at Eton Excelsior Rowing Club, used the 24-hour indoor rowing attempt as part of their mental preparation for the 2023 challenge.
As part of the Atlantic challenge, the team will leave La Gomera, a Canary Island, in December 2023, rowing to Nelson’s Dockyard in Antigua.
The team are looking to partner with businesses to aid them in achieving this goal.
So far, more than £2,400 of the team’s £150,000 goal has been raised on their gofundme page, which can be viewed at gofundme. com/f/team-excelsioaratlantic-row
To team can be contacted via email at: teamexcelsioar@gmail.com or via direct message on Instagram: @teamexcelsioar.