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What's the story?
British Olympic rower Alex Gregory embarked on an epic quest to row from the south of the Arctic Ocean to its northern end, all for a noble cause. Gregory and his team set off on their journey seven weeks earlier as they rowed from Tromsø, Norway to Saudarkrokur, Iceland.
On September 1st, the Briton from Cheltenham posted a picture on Twitter where his hands were full of blisters. He wasn't the only one though as a few members of his crew also suffered the same.
In case you didn't know
Gregory was a double gold medal winner as a member of the British men's coxless fours team at both London 2012 and Rio 2016. He was attempting set 12 records in order to raise funds to build a school in the Himalayas.
The heart of the matter
As mentioned earlier, the expedition began in Tromsø, Norway and the team rowed to Longyearbyen, Svalbard, completing the first stage of their quest. However, after they left Svalbard for Saudarkrokur in Iceland, they were stranded on a remote island when their boat developed complications.
Gregory later stated that he had never been so wet and cold for such a long period of time. He stated that it got extremely difficult towards the end of the journey and described the ocean as 'ice-cold and dark grey'.
What next?
The expedition was abandoned due to safety concerns but the international group of rowers did manage to break 11 records in the process, with regard to distance and location.
Gregory also said that the decision was also taken bearing in mind that everyone had families to go home to. He added that his three children needed their father and that they need him to make the right decisions in life. He stated that he needed to maintain a balance between being brave and adventurous, while also ensuring that he does not take any unnecessary risks.
Author's take
The image shows the bravery of the rower and his team that they braved such harsh conditions for such a noble cause. It also shows the extent to which they are willing to put their bodies under the cosh and test the boundaries.
Here are some of the best reactions to the tweet:
