Laura Penhaul
Team Lead
Age: 32
Hometown: From Cornwall but now live in Putney, London
Job in the “real” world: Lead Physiotherapist for Paralympic Athletics
Past adventures/sporting success: I am a ‘jack of all trades aka Master of None’ when it comes to sport, but I love it all! I’ve run the Paris and London marathons, competed in Barcelona and Geneva triathlons, gained my first age group win at Marlow triathlon, I rock climbed and ice climbed when I lived in Chamonix, I’ve got my Advanced PADI and I love skiing after doing two seasons in Verbier and Val D’Isere.
Why am I doing the row? Having worked in Paralympic sport for a number of years, I have worked with a lot of people that have faced and overcome life changing situations, and they work on a daily basis to maximise their abilities. I’m passionate about supporting and helping people to work to their best abilities, with or without a disability, especially when you can see true potential and you can help them to believe it’s possible.
Nothing can replicate what those women have had to go through when battling Breast Cancer, or those women that have fought to be on the frontline and then been injured at war, but one thing they share, along with many others that have been injured or ill in other ways, is they never give up in the face of adversity. This has always given me such a motivation to strive to find my own abilities and to challenge myself to get a glimpse of what it is you draw on when the odds are against you, because if you can find that, it helps you to tackle most things that life throws at you.
What excites me most about the row? That feeling of absolute joy and extreme emotion when we finish in Cairns and are back in our families’ arms.
What am I going to miss the most? A shower!
What food will I miss the most? My Aunty Marie’s Cornish pasties
What am I looking forward to the most? Having the opportunity to swim in the middle of the Pacific Ocean!
An abstract fact about me:
My power song on the boat: So many… a chilled one and amazing words ‘When the Day Breaks’ by Ryan Keen. Power song for rowing into a storm; ‘Danger Zone’ by Kenny Loggin, something for sleep deprivation; ‘Insomnia’ Faithless and an all time favourite ‘‘Titanium’ by David Guetta to shout out into the deep blue.
