‘Sarah – You are obviously certifiably bonkers. Thank God.’ Dawn French
Sarah is a young British adventurer who is, as we speak, on her ground-breaking, two and half year expedition, Lonond2London: Via the World, during which time she will row, cycle and kayak a continuous loop of the planet. She holds three Guinness World Records for her ocean rowing feats and was awarded an MBE for her solo row across the Indian Ocean in 2009, during which she raised over £30,000 for arthritis charities.
In her own words:
I am Sarah Outen, a young(ish) adventurer at 2.6 decades old, hooked on life and wild places, and inspiring others to follow their own dreams.
One day I will be a teacher, be it in a classroom or not, but for now I am enjoying the opportunities to share my experiences and encourage other people to find and redefine their own boundaries.
Adventure
I love adventure – the feeling of not quite knowing if or how you will make your destination, of pushing the limits and testing yourself against yourself and the elements. My love of the wild led me to a degree in Biology at the University of Oxford and in 2009 took me out to sea on the biggest adventure of my life, rowing solo across the Indian Ocean. It was this 4,000 nautical mile row from Australia to Mauritius that inspired me to go on to more journeys.
London2London: Via the World is born
I developed a taste for big expeditions and a yearning for greater challenges. I wanted an extension, another chapter. It was out on the Indian Ocean that I yearned for more ocean time and started tracing routes across the green bits of the globe too – I wanted to make a huge journey by land and sea that was very much rooted in my home country. And so, London2London: Via the World was born.
I set off on 1st April 2011 from London’s famous Tower Bridge on my expedition to cycle, row and kayak a continuous loop of the world and I hope to be arriving back under Tower Bridge in the Autumn of 2013, two and a half years later.
You can read all about my expedition here and share in my stories along the way with my personal L2L blog.
Sarah Outen: Awards & Achievements
Awarded an MBE for services to rowing, conservation and charity
First woman to row solo across the Indian Ocean (2009)
Youngest person to row solo across the Indian Ocean (2009)
Youngest female to row across any ocean (2009)
2012 Appointed Vice President Leicester Rowing Club
2011 Appointed Vice Patron of Jubilee Sailing Trust
2011 Finalist for Travel Blog in UK Travel Press Awards
2011 Published first book: ‘A Dip In The Ocean’ (Summersdale)
2010 Appointed Ambassador for The Blue Project
2009 Became a Fellow of the Royal Geographic Society
2009 Winner of Best of Explorers’ Web 2009 Awards for Indian Ocean Row
2008 Completed the 125 mile endurance Devizes to Westminster Race (2nd Solo Female)
2007 Crewed with Geoff Holt’s Round Britain Sailing Challenge
2007 Sarah graduated from Oxford University
