Oar-some duo reach £160,000 fundraising milestone

13 Nov 2013

Manchester alumnus Nick Rees and his best friend Ed Curtis have raised more than £160,000 ahead of their gruelling challenge to row across the Atlantic in December.

The duo will row from the Canary Islands to Antigua, a journey of almost 3,000 miles, in the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge which starts on 2 December 2013. Considered to be the world’s toughest rowing race, they will row unsupported and self-sufficiently.

Their inspiration is Nick’s wife Ellen, also a Manchester graduate, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2009 aged just 33.

More people have been into space than rowed the Atlantic, and it’s not for the faint-hearted, with unpredictable, extreme weather conditions and 40 foot waves.

Physically, rowers have to deal with blisters, salt rashes, sleep deprivation and rowing in two-hour shifts around the clock for weeks. They will typically burn 8,000 calories a day and lose 20 per cent of their body weight during the race.

Combining fundraising and training hasn’t been easy, and Nick said: “It’s been fairly exhausting to be honest but great fun at the same time and as a result of all the hard work we’ve really boosted our fundraising total for Breakthrough Breast Cancer.”

Nick and Ed are still hoping to reach their £250,000 final fundraising total, and if you’d like to follow their progress or sponsor them, please visit: http://breakthroughatlantic.com/ or https://www.facebook.com/#!/Breakthroughatlantic