A 67-year-old man from Oxford is attempting to row the Atlantic and break multiple world records in the process.
If Jim Ronaldson and fellow rower Ian Davies complete the 3,000 mile journey they will become the oldest crew to do so with a median age of 65.6 years.
The journey begins in the Canary Islands, Spain and ends at Nelson’s Dockyard in Antigua and Barbuda.
The pair are undertaking the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge 2023 for charity and will be raising money for PAPYRUS, a young person’s mental health charity and Myeloma UK, a bone marrow cancer research organisation.
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Ian has been in remission from Myeloma since May 2021, after he was diagnosed with the disease just one week after rowing the Channel.
Jim said: “For me personally, it was mainly the pandemic that inspired me to take part in the challenge.
“I was concerned about the impact it had had on people’s mental health, particularly children.
“The aims of the challenge are to cross safely, take part in a once in a lifetime experience and raise as much money as possible for charity.”
Jim has been rowing for 50 years and has worked as a boatman on the river in Oxford for four decades.
Highlights of his rowing career include winning international medals in the sport and getting to the semi-finals of the Henley Regatta.
Ian is also a lover of adventure and is no stranger to the Atlantic Challenge.
He completed the gruelling journey in 2019 but with a four-man crew, and now wants to take it on again as a pair.
Jim has undertaken big challenges for charity in the past.
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He successfully cycled the length of the UK from Land’s End to John O’Groats to raise money for Stoke Mandeville Hospital.
Jim and Ian will take on the Atlantic challenge in December, but they are currently seeking sponsorship for the challenge.
The pair need to raise £100,000 to cover equipment costs.
The Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenger is a world-renowned event which generates media coverage across 120 countries, reaching over 20 million people.
In April, Jim and Ian are doing a 24-hour row on rowing machines in the Westgate Shopping Centre in central Oxford.
The row will begin at 12pm on Saturday April 22, ending at the same time the next day.
Both of the charities, that Jim and Ian are supporting will be at the Westgate during the challenge.
Jim is currently undergoing intense training to prepare himself for the trans-Atlantic row.
He completes 60,000m on the rowing machine as well as 100 miles on his bike each week.
You can access Jim and Ian’s GoFundMe page here.
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