Six soccer fields full of trees and counting
5 years ago, while cycling for Kom Op Tegen Kanker, I was passed by 2
fast men. After going completely into the red, I was able to catch up with them and after a few
kilometers a conversation ensued. That's how I got to know Toon. Immediately he was excited
when I told him that I was not in fact a cyclist at all, but had looked into
running ultramarathons. I was then several months away from Tor des
Géants, a 350km race through the Aosta Valley. Toon fixed me one of his high
quality caps and since then I never wore anything else.
From ultrarunning to extreme challenges
For 8 years I have been involved in extreme distance running. Sometimes I wander off and
For example, I climb Matterhorn, Mont Blanc or throw myself into an Iron Man. The past
four years, however, I still had something big on my mind. A challenge so intense that I felt
one and a half years did not dare put it behind and left it. A good two years ago
however, I made the click anyway: I signed up for the World's Toughest Row. A
rowing race of 5000km unsupported across the Atlantic Ocean. And because that is not yet
was enough, I decided to do it solo. I really wanted to see how deep I could go physically and mentally
digging.
The Vandal as a partner
You cannot start a project of this order alone. Toon was once again enthusiastic and
helped me with my merchandise that I sold to benefit the Leuven Cancer
Institute. Through their professional attire and creative designs, we managed to raise about €8000 in
collect! In addition, Toon was also the mastermind behind the design of the wrap of
my boat. A bare white boat would obviously not quite grab those finish photos. This
By the way, wrap was done fantastically by the friends at Wrap my Bike!
Two years of sacrifices
Rowing across the Atlantic is very difficult to describe. Only in terms of physical,
mental and logistical preparation, it is a feat. In total, the
preparation only me more than two years. I am convinced that in order to make such
projects to succeed, you sometimes have to make enormous sacrifices. Here that was
zely also the case: never before have I shut myself off so much from the outside world and had so many
uncertainty about the project I had taken on. But I overcame deadline by deadline
and got into tremendous shape physically.
The start
And then it happened. On December 14, the starting gun reverberated for me at 12h18 local time.
The first week was pure adrenaline. We were in the spur of a storm that had us in the
blew in the right direction, but which did mean that we were immediately treated to extreme
waves. Because of my competitiveness, I decided to sleep for only an hour and a half to three hours
during the first week, which took a huge toll. When the second week started and I
had a good position in both the solo and overall standings I could feel more sleep
afford.
Windless
Afterwards came a 10-day period with no wind at all. The ocean felt safe
but it was a huge struggle to keep the boat going. Also mentally there were
several moments to throw in the towel for the day, but of this was
no way. I had to and would continue to row as much as possible. 16 hours a day, that was the plan and this had to and would be carried out.
Surfing to Antigua
After this windless period, the wind returned. But this also took an extreme form again in the last 2 weeks: 25 to 30 knots for several days and accompanying 8-meter waves that made me surf towards Antigua. This sometimes at 23km/h due to the force of the Ocean.
The finish line
And then it happened. After 41 days and 15 minutes, I reached Antigua after a final sprint of
more than 24 hours. I knew I would miss the Ocean, so I still wanted to make the most of it. The
feeling of finishing cannot be described. Only I know what happened, felt,
experienced during those 41 days. But I can tell you that it is an unforgettable moment
When more than 2 years of preparation come together in that one moment.
The Vandal: Huge thanks for joining us on this adventure. Without you there was no design
And no merchandise! Nothing but love.
