Four women are preparing to walk 100 miles carrying a rowing boat between them to raise awareness for women and girls in sport.
Victoria Monk, 30, Ana Zigic, 27, Ellie Reynolds, 24, and Molly Green, 26, will aim to complete the challenge along the entirety of the South Downs Way within four days, over the Easter weekend.
Starting in Winchester, Hampshire and finishing in Eastbourne, the foursome will aim to break a world record for the longest distance travelled by foot, while carrying a boat.
The team of women, who are from London and Cardiff, hope that this expedition will help shine a light on the inequalities that exist for women in sport – in particular, the number of girls that drop out of sport when they reach puberty.
The centi-walk forms part of a broader campaign to raise the profile and visibility of women’s sport – culminating in a 3,000-mile Atlantic Ocean row at the end of the year.
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The women – previously strangers – united in 2022 to form the team There She Rows, with a shared belief that more concentrated effort needs to be committed to ensuring sport is a safe and inclusive space for all.
“More than half of girls will quit playing sport by age 17 missing out on its myriad benefits for the rest of their lives – we want to change that,” There She Rows team captain Victoria Monk said.
“All four of us have been lucky enough to benefit from sport throughout our lives – physically, mentally, personally and professionally – and we want to help inspire the next generation of girls and women to fall in love with sport and exercise.
“We wanted to walk the length of the South Downs Way to help raise the profile and inspire more women and girls to get into sport.
“By carrying the rowing boat with us, we represent the myriad barriers that currently exist preventing girls from getting involved with, or staying in sport. We are walking 100miles – which is a mile for every 10,000 girls that will drop out of sport this year.”
There She Rows are fundraising for three charities close to their hearts: Women’s Sport Trust, Endometriosis UK and Teenage Cancer Trust. If you want to donate towards the cause, visit: gofundme/theresherows
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