June 5, 2024 at 10:28
Meet Laura Newton and Cassidy Hurd, half of the powerful team aiming to break a world record rowing across the Pacific.
A six-hour flight across the Pacific can be quite an ordeal. From navigating labyrinthine TSA lines to enduring cramped cabins, it’s enough to test even the most patient travelers.
Now, imagine the extraordinary mental and physical strength required to trade the comfort of a Boeing 787 for a four-person rowboat, transforming what once seemed like a grueling six-hour flight into a month-long odyssey.
For Full Foarce, an all-female rowing team based on O’ahu, this will soon become their reality. Starting June 8, they will embark on the adventure of a lifetime, competing in The World’s Toughest Row-Pacific, a competition that spans an incredible 2,800 miles from Monterey, California, to Hanalei, Kaua’i. Without help or breaks, they will harness the strength of their muscles and their unwavering determination to row towards the finish line.
The team, made up of amateur and expert rowers, will brave the elements, enduring dizziness, blisters, salt sores, lack of sleep, hallucinations and inevitable equipment failures. They will paddle in three-hour shifts, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, until they reach Garden Isle. While the average completion time is around 60 days, this quartet is aiming for 34 days, 14 hours and 19 minutes, a moment shy of a world record.
You might be thinking, “Who would be willing to sign up for this?”
Enter Cassidy Hurd, Laura Newton, Cait Miller and Elaina Loveless, the women who not only voluntarily signed up but are anxiously awaiting the sound of the race’s starting horn.
Hurd and Newton call O’ahu home, while Miller and Loveless reside in Idaho and Florida, respectively. Today, these women are inseparable, chatting daily as they prepare to spend more than a month together at sea in a 28-foot rowboat. It’s funny to think that not long ago they were complete strangers.
In 2022, Hurd, a Michigan native and speech pathologist, stumbled upon a TikTok account featuring the Latitude 35 women’s rowing team, the current world record holder for the fastest all-female quartet to row across the Pacific.
“I was so in love with what they were doing, and I checked daily on their progress and what the updates were,” Hurd says. “Shortly after finishing their degree, they made a post saying anyone could sign up… and I was like, ‘What the hell? I want to do this.’ “I didn’t know any normal person could row in the ocean.”
Hurd immersed himself in online forums, where he made an instant connection with Loveless, a high school rowing coach. Together they formed a team and searched for additional members online, but with no luck. Meanwhile, Hurd was also active in an O’ahu-based online hiking group, where she crossed paths (or friend-friended) Newton. Upon hearing about the expedition, Newton agreed. Miller, a business owner, came to the team through a mutual rowing friend, as he had previously rowed in the Atlantic in 2014.
“I’ve always been very adventurous and a nature lover, and I saw this as an opportunity to go on a big adventure that was going to be more meaningful than something personal,” shares Newton, a Connecticut native and civil engineer. “We’re trying to do it publicly and raise money for charities…I saw it as a way to go on adventures with a bigger purpose rather than little adventures for my own enjoyment.”
Hurd adds: “You see these crazy stories and these adventurous things that people do and, at least in my case, I think most people think, ‘That’s not something I could ever do’; I wouldn’t even physically be able to do that.” to do it, but I don’t have the opportunity to do it, like sign up for this and compete in this. So, as I was watching (Latitude 35), I thought, ‘God, that sounds like something I would do.’ the common. It is so surprising what they are doing.”
“When I found out that I could sign up and that I didn’t have to have these special prerequisites of rowing experience or anything like that, I thought, ‘Sign me up. Let’s do it.'”
All four women come from athletic backgrounds, but only Miller and Loveless have prior rowing experience. They have made several visits to each other’s locations to train together as a team, but most of their preparation is done independently. Training includes six exercises per week, such as hiking, cycling, swimming and weight lifting, plus saunas and ice baths.
“There’s a lot of things going on behind the scenes that people probably don’t realize. In addition to physical training, there is also a lot of mental preparation,” shares Newton. “We’ve heard from a lot of previous teams that it’s much more mental than physical. Your body will adapt pretty quickly, but then being able to stay mentally strong and go all the way is a big challenge.”
In addition to training, fundraising also consumed much of the team’s time. Their goal was to raise $225,000 to cover various expenses, such as their boat, equipment and supplies, flights and accommodations, required safety courses, and more.
“I think fundraising has taken up most of our time soliciting sponsors and hosting fundraising events here in Hawai’i in person and online. Cait and Elaina have also raised funds where they live. It has been a huge effort.
“A lot of people have said that the hardest part is getting to the starting line,” adds Newton. “Once there, all you have to do is eat, sleep and row. Plus, we all work full-time while doing this, so it’s basically a second full-time job for over a year.”
Any surplus funds raised will be donated to two nonprofit organizations: Papahānaumokuākea Marine Debris Project, a Kailua-based nonprofit created to protect wildlife and habitats in the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument in the northwest islands of Hawaii, and Play Like A Girl.
“(Play Like A Girl) works with high school-aged girls and encourages them to continue playing sports and use the transferable skills gained from sports to propel them into STEM careers and leadership positions in more male-dominated fields,” shares Newton. . “It kind of brings together my two favorite things: sports and STEM.
We were actually able to be a part of their mentoring program and talk to a group of high school girls about what we’re doing, why we’re doing it, and how to approach challenging things and not let fears or expectations hold you back. to pursue your dreams. “We hope to inspire girls and young women to do challenging things and break stereotypes.”
His journey has been both one of preparation and personal growth. Last year, they already gained invaluable knowledge and experience, even before the competition officially started.
“I’m definitely in the best shape of my life,” Newton says. “We’ve learned how to defend ourselves when we’re trying to get sponsors and things like that. I’m an introvert and if I had my way I’d do it without telling anyone… but we have to tell everyone – we have to promote and advocate for ourselves to get funding and hopefully spread the word about these charities and raise funds . a lot of money for them.”
Hurd adds, “I think the most important thing for me is to have patience and grace with myself and others, which isn’t always easy… I always joke that I’m a big planner and I like to know everything in advance, and a lot. “We can’t know this in advance so it’s been difficult for me, so communicating it to the team and getting their support has been fantastic.”
Once she finishes her degree, Hurd says she hopes to see the positive impact it will have on her, her spouse, and the circle of friends and family who have supported her over the years.
“Besides that, I don’t know what life will be like after the fight,” he says. “I’m going to take some time off to give my body time to recover, but I plan to return to my same job for the time being, otherwise everything else will be different. “I will have grown and changed a lot and I am looking forward to seeing what that entails.”
Meanwhile, Newton is hoping for something a little simpler (and sweeter).
“The first thing I want is fresh fruit and ice cream,” he says, laughing.
“We’re both lucky to be able to take time off after work, so I think there will be a lot of time to reflect and process everything we went through that we maybe didn’t have too much of right now. “It’s time to think,” he adds. “I think we’ll definitely have a different outlook on life at the end of this and maybe different ideas about different things we want to do. Our priorities might have changed in the end.
“It’s hard to predict, but I think we’ll have a new perspective after going through something as challenging as this, and we’ll definitely all be bonded for life.”
To follow Full Foarce on their journey, visit full-foarce.com and @fullfoarce on Instagram.
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