Ben Thackwray

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Ben Thackwray (born 13 May 1980) is a record breaking British adventurer, explorer, endurance athlete, ocean rower, mountaineer, cross-country skier, ultra distance runner, and former semi-pro footballer.

Biography[edit]

Thackwray was born in Leeds, West Yorkshire and played semi-professional football for Farsley Celtic A.F.C and Guiseley A.F.C.[1][2]

He is best known for rowing the Atlantic in 2008 and setting the fastest crossing of the Atlantic in a rowing boat (37 days)[3][4] from the Canary Islands (San Sebastián de La Gomera, Spain) to Antigua[5] as part of a 5-man crew aboard 'Oyster Shack'[6] and the Guinness World Record[citation needed] for the fastest 1000 miles ever rowed in an ocean rowing boat.[5][7][8]

In 2010, he and Ian Couch (also a crew member on Oyster Shack) set the fastest British crossing of Greenland.[9]

In 2011 Thackwray climbed Mount Everest,[5][10] making him one of only six people ever to have rowed an ocean and climbed Mount Everest.[11][12]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Guiseley throw away lead". Ilkley Gazette. 1 March 2001. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
  2. ^ "Senior gets the service to lift points". This is Local London. Newsquest Media Group. 4 March 2002. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
  3. ^ "Chronological Listing of All Ocean Rows". Statistics of Ocean Rows. The Ocean Rowing Society. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
  4. ^ Barnett, Ben (8 May 2008). "N-ice and easy journey for Ben". Bradford Telegraph and Argus. Newsquest Media Group. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
  5. ^ a b c "Featured Customer: Ben Thackwray". Blog - Featured Customer. Expedition Foods. 21 July 2011. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
  6. ^ "Atlantic Ocean Rows East to West of less than 41 days on the Classic Route (Trade Winds I)". Ocean rowing records. The Ocean Rowing Society. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
  7. ^ "Leeds adventurer on course to compete ocean trilogy". The Yorkshire Post. 14 February 2008. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
  8. ^ Wan, Marcus (14 February 2008). "'It's all about the moments in time'". The Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
  9. ^ "Leeds adventurer targets the South Pole". The Yorkshire Post. 14 May 2010. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
  10. ^ "ExWeb interview with Ian Couch and Ben Thackwray (part 1): Teamwork comes down to a deep level of respect and trust". ExplorersWeb. 25 May 2010. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
  11. ^ Strandberg, Mikael; Ben Thackwray (19 August 2011). "Why I climbed Mount Everest". The Long Walk articles. Mikael Strandberg. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
  12. ^ "ExWeb interview with Ian Couch and Ben Thackwray (final), Rowing and skiing require the mind to push the body". ExplorersWeb. 26 May 2010. Retrieved 12 July 2014.