Emma Mitchell

Team Member

Age: 30

Hometown: From Marlow, live in Portsmouth

Job in the “real” world: Expedition Manager for True Adventure – managing the personal development program for School teams, running their training and preparing them for the expedition.

Past adventures/sporting success: I started rowing at Marlow Rowing Club when I was 16 and have been hooked ever since. I have rowed for England at the Home International Regatta, for Cambridge in the boat race and for Marlow Rowing Club and City of Bristol Rowing Club in National and International regattas. After completing my PhD I swapped academia for adventure and went on a four month expedition leader training course in the jungles of Belize learning how to plan and manage an expedition, how to survive alone in the jungle with just a machete and completed training in wilderness medicine, rescue techniques and incident management. I have also completed the Mont Blanc Marathon, the Pembrokeshire Coast Challenge and completed the Berlin Marathon twice in two days – once on skates and once on foot.

Why am I doing the row? When the opportunity to do the row came up it was something that I couldn’t turn down. I have always liked to challenge myself and love the sense of achievement gained from doing something that scares me. Our two inspirational charities support women overcoming adversity and this row will give us a small taste of how these women draw on their inner strength to get through the challenges life has thrown at them. The support of the other girls on the team will be invaluable and hopefully we will also be able to encourage people to face their own challenges, whatever these might be and take advantage of all the opportunities available to them.

What excites me most about the row? Heading out into the unknown on an adventure.

What am I going to miss the most? My friends and family. Solid ground!

What food will I miss the most? A good roast dinner.

What am I looking forward to the most? I am looking forward to the amazing sunrises and sunsets and hopefully seeing some amazing sea life up close and personal.

An abstract fact about me: I went to circus school to learn the trapeze and I’ve ridden the Lloyds Bank horse.

My power song on the boat: ‘Lose Yourself’ by Eminem.