Hogarth Member Story - James Peace and Project Atlantic

6,550km, 52 Hours and £210,000 raised for charity

We caught up with Hogarth member James, who took on an extraordinary endurance challenge as part of Project Atlantic. The 52-hour rowing event brought together around 50 colleagues to raise money for children’s charity, Kids.

Having used The Hogarth to prepare for the challenge, James went on to row an impressive 140km, contributing to a team total of 6,550km. Together, the team raised an incredible £210,000 for charity, faced plenty of sleep deprivation and came away with a few memorable stories to tell.

Where did the idea for Project Atlantic come from?

“The inspiration came from two of my work colleagues, one of whom is a keen rower. They sent out a call for volunteers on New Year’s Day last year, with a push for people to get involved. Somewhat peer pressure! We typically hold a large charity event every year for our chosen charity, Kids, so this was the challenge we decided to take on. Although I would like to say it was one of my colleague’s mid-year crises!”

The idea soon turned into 52 hours of continuous rowing, with a team of around 50 people working together to raise as much money as possible for a fantastic cause.

Training at The Hogarth

James began his preparation with a couple of hours of rowing each week, gradually increasing his training in the lead-up to the event, which kicked off on the 8th of September. “During August, I would be doing stints of two or three hours of rowing in a row at The Hogarth to train.”

Those longer sessions helped build the stamina needed for the challenge, although nothing could quite prepare him for the reality of rowing around the clock.

What was the hardest part?

“The hardest part was definitely getting up at 11pm for an eight-hour shift at midnight. It felt very surreal rowing in our office for two and a half days straight. It was a great experience, though, and definitely brought the office together.”

It wasn't just the unusual hours that made things difficult. “The 2am rowing session on the second night was particularly difficult, after having no sleep because a fire alarm went off at the hotel while I was trying to get some rest. I really had to dig deep for that one.”

140km on the rowing machine... how did that feel?

“Surprisingly chirpy! The training I had done made the physical aspect okay, although the glass of champagne after the rowing did go straight to the head!”

Although the physical challenge was manageable, not every rowing machine made life easy... “We had 12 rowing machines going every hour, two of which were Technogym machines rather than Concept2. The Technogym machines are about ten times harder!

“I switched with a colleague for three separate hours so they wouldn't have to use the Technogym for the entire time. I wanted to stop when I was on that machine for the third hour. It was tough, and seeing your distance fall was painful!”

How did you keep yourself motivated?

With so many hours to fill, keeping James' mind occupied was just as important as keeping his body moving. “It was a mixture of singing with my rowing neighbour, watching Kung Fu Panda as a distraction, or listening to classical music.”

And then there was the support from the rest of the team, which made all the difference. “Besides the delirium, it was definitely one of the best experiences I've had in terms of team spirit. There was something special about people shouting ‘water break’ 20 minutes into an hour-long stint.”

**Was there a moment when you thought, ‘What have I got myself into?’**

“Every second!” Even seasoned rowers thought the team was mad when they heard what they were planning. But the challenge also delivered some unexpected moments.

“One of the funniest moments was realising we were actually rowing way too quickly. The organisers had to stand there and tell us to slow down, and they even removed one of our rowing hours because we were going so fast. Finishing at 3am on the final day wouldn't have been the dramatic finish everyone wanted!”

What are three words you'd use to describe the experience?

“Comradery, delirium, fulfilment.”

Raising £210,000 for Kids

Beyond the personal milestones and the kilometres covered, the real motivation was raising money for a cause close to the team's heart. With around 50 colleagues contributing to the effort, the team covered 6,550km in total and raised an incredible £210,000 for Kids.

You can find out more or support the cause through the Project Atlantic fundraising page.

What are you most proud of?

“Survival, and seeing how much we all raised for a great charity.”

Would you do another challenge like this?

“I would do another challenge like this in terms of endurance for charity, but I definitely wouldn't touch a rowing machine for a while! Rowing, even for an hour at a time, was very boring.”

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