Kat Cordiner, Ben’s sister, has smashed a world record for the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge alongside teammates Abby Johnston and Charlotte Irving.

The Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge, often dubbed the “world’s toughest row”, is a gruelling, 3,000-mile endurance race across the Atlantic Ocean.

Onboard their 25-foot boat Dolly Parton, the team known as “We Are ExtraOARdinary” shattered the record for a female trio, finishing the 3,000-mile crossing in 42 days, 7 hours, and 17 minutes – slashing a whole seven days off the previous 49-day record.

Even more impressively, Kat is also thought to be the first person to ever complete the crossing as a cancer patient, having been diagnosed with incurable cervical cancer in 2019.

The team are raising money for three cancer charities: Cancer Research UK, Macmillan Cancer Support, and the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity.

3,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean

 

Starting in La Gomera in the Canary Islands, Kat, Abby, and Charlotte have rowed in two-hour on, two-hour off shifts on their way to Nelson’s Dockyard, English Harbour in Antigua.

The trio have experienced everything from 25-foot waves and extreme temperatures to salt sores, sleep deprivation, and blisters on their hands.

Having set off on 12 December 2021, the team celebrated Christmas and New Year’s Day at sea, finally arriving at their destination on Sunday 23 January 2022.

Kat’s journey to taking part in the race has been anything but straightforward. Having undergone chemotherapy during her training, she was also briefly forced to stop to have heart surgery for a cardiac tumour in May.

Yet despite all these challenges, Kat and her team have succeeded in their aim of beating the world record for a female trio, and she couldn’t be more thrilled.

“It was only in May last year that I started training and I’m just glad that I got to start the race and ecstatic that I got to finish it,” she said, shortly after arriving at English Harbour.

Donate to the team

 

You can donate to Team ExtraOARdinary’s incredible achievement through their GoFundMe page. Alternatively, visit the Team ExtraOARdinary website to donate and read more about Kat and her incredible journey.