Irish endurance athlete Gavan Hennigan had rowed his way into the record books by becoming the fastest solo competitor in the history of the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge, which is widely regarded as the world’s toughest row.
The 35-year-old former heroin addict also smashed the record for the Sean McGowan’s record as Ireland’s quickest Atlantic rower by an astonishing 69 days.
Speaking to the Press Association, the Galway man said:
“I had a lot of personal struggles.I feel like having come back from the brink, that dark place in my mind, I don’t feel like something like this challenge could faze me too much – this is just for fun.”
Speaking of his treacherous journey across the Atlantic, Gavan continued:
“The last seven days have been relentless. At times, I’ve rowed up to 19 hours a day and yesterday when I woke up, I decided it was time to finish this. I’ve rowed for the past 14 hours straight. I gave that my all.”
“This has been a life-changing experience. I’ve experienced the beauty of the Atlantic sunsets and sunrises, the thrill of open ocean row boat surfing, the despair of driving headwinds and the joy of arriving back on land today.”
“For the past 49 days I’ve had one single goal. To live life. I’ve embraced every minute and I’m so happy to be here finally.I’d like to thank Talisker and Atlantic campaigns for giving me the opportunity to make this journey. I’ll never forget it.”
Take a bow, that man.
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