The Most Dangerous Atlantic Rowing Race in History — Sarah Kessans Was In It episode artwork

EPISODE · May 26, 2026 · 1H 19M

The Most Dangerous Atlantic Rowing Race in History — Sarah Kessans Was In It

from Hunger & Heart with Kaila Colbin

Sarah Kessans came to New Zealand for a two-year postdoc. Thirteen years later she's still here - an Associate Professor at the University of Canterbury working across synthetic biology, space research, and agricultural climate science.But before all of that, she was a 20-year-old from Indiana with $500, no ocean experience, and an idea she'd read about on a plane.In this episode, Sarah tells the full story of how she and her college rowing rival entered the Woodvale Atlantic Rowing Race — a 5,000 km crossing from the Canary Islands to Antigua. How they built their own boat, raised $150,000 from nothing, and arrived at the start line as one of the most prepared crews in a fleet of 26.And what happened on Day 45 when a rogue wave flipped their boat upside down, 1,400 miles from land, in the middle of a hurricane.In this episode:How a single book on a flight changed the entire direction of her lifeBuilding a racing boat in her dad's cabinet workshop in IndianaWhat it's actually like to row through the night, alone, in the middle of the AtlanticThe capsize — and the 14 hours that followedWhy she went backBreaking the women's world record by 17 daysHunger & Heart is brought to you by the Crusaders Leadership Programme™. Whether you're coaching under-5s or a professional team, we all want the same thing: to build cultures of trust, get the best out of our people, and grow players into leaders.The Crusaders Leadership Programme™ lets you get up close and personal with some of the greatest rugby legends of all time — people like Sir Wayne Smith, Sam Whitelock, and Kieran Read. You'll connect with a global group of ambitious, caring coaches from a range of codes and backgrounds, and most importantly, you'll gain skills and techniques to drive impact and outcomes for your team.The Crusaders Leadership Programme™ is a two-week high-intensity virtual experience. It is delivered exclusively online, accessible from anywhere. Hunger and heart Listeners get 10% off the full price of the program. Use the code HUNGER at checkout. Find out more: crusadersleadership.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published May 26, 2026

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The Most Dangerous Atlantic Rowing Race in History — Sarah Kessans Was In It

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This episode was published on May 26, 2026.

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