The Team
Adam Rackley
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About Me:
Adam Rackley
21st July 1981
London
Investment Analyst
I believe that life is a process of self-definition and this is one of the reasons why challenges are so important to me. When not planning the next one you'll probably find me pavement pounding along Southbank, trying not to knock over too many tourists, or working up a sweat down Gleesons boxing gym.
Adam's 10 Questions
1. Why do you want to row the Atlantic?
Until Nick mentioned the Woodvale Event I had never thought seriously about rowing the Atlantic, it just demanded too much organization and planning. What really won me over was the idea of doing it as a Four. The amount each crew member would come to learn about his team mates over the course of five weeks and two and a half thousand miles seemed to make all the thought of doing all that preparation worthwhile.
2. What is you job on the expedition?
I'll be co-ordinating the team's preparation for the row and getting us all together for team meetings in order to ensure we're progressing according to plan. I'm also looking after Fundraising and Sponsorship.
3. Do you have any rowing experience?
Before deciding to row the Atlantic I'd never sat in a rowing boat. Since then I've joined the Globe rowing club at Greenwich.
4. What other challenges have you done?
I'vecdone the 'Caledonian Challenge' double-marathon a few times. I've also cycled from John O'Groats to Land's End and trekked the Cost-to-Coast across Scotland (along the Great Glen) and England (along Hadrian's Wall) a couple of times. In a rowing vein, I once sat in Dundee city centre and rowed 78km on an Ergo (learning the value of good padding in the process!). Challenges for next year include 'Tough Guy' and the London to Brighton double marathon.
5. What are you most looking forward to?
Seeing how we all cope with the pressure of the situation and what that teaches us about each other.
6. What are you worried about the most?
Boredom...
7. What do your family and friends think?
Most of them think its a slightly odd thing to want to do, but few are surprised.
8. How did you find out about the challenge?
I got a call from Nick in Spring 2006. He had just seen a programme about the Woodvale event and was really fired up by the idea. My first reaction was that it sounded like an awful lot of organisation and fundraising, so I told him that if he was going to organise it he could count me in! I thought nothing more of the race until that summer when I got a call from Ben. Independently from Nick he had also seen the programme about the event and was also keen to put together a team. Now that there were a couple of people who were interested I started to really take the idea seriously and got in touch with Jimmy. From that point the whole idea started to get some momentum behind it.
9.Who is your role model?
The capacity of the human will to overcome adversity is an inspiration for me. Like Nick, I find Shackleton's story a great one and there are many others. Primo Levi ('If this is a man') and Joe Simpson ('Touching the Void') have amazing and terrible but inspiring tales to tell too.
10. Favourite Quote?
'We want the finest wines available to humanity, we want them here, and we want them now!'