- THE TEAM -
Dedication. Expertise. Passion.
The team of become Atlantic are a mix of elite athletes, one of the world's first in their sport, a yachtmaster and yet none of us have rowed before now.
Head of partnerships & mental preparation
Penny Mallory
For Penny, this is the ultimate challenge as she will be facing her lifelong fear of open water and being on a boat.
Whilst she has zero boating or rowing experience of any kind, she loves an adventure on land. She is a former Rally Champion, has conquered 2 of the 7 summits, run multiple marathons, been a boxer, polo player and ice skater.
As a motivational speaker, Penny specialises in helping people to develop Mental Toughness - something the team will need in bucket loads.
Chief Navigator and Head of Operations
Grace (G) Pybus
Grace has been an avid water baby for most of her life and has worked on boats ranging from charter sail boats and super yachts but is just as happy bouncing around the Bristol Channel in a rib.
The Atlantic Challenge has been a dream for G for many years and completing this race is her opportunity to give her family a chance to share one of her life's biggest achievements yet. Her navigational experience and operational knowledge is become Atlantic's (not so) secret weapon.
Marginal gains, planning & building efficiencies
Maddie Difazio-Wright
Having played sport at a national level, Maddie had to retire early following a relatively serious ankle injury. Feeling pretty deflated, she began planning adventures which acted as physical targets during rehab.
Recently, Maddie was part of an expedition team who were the first in the world to paddleboard down the Amazon River. Like many others, it takes an extraordinary experience to confirm that living outside of your own comfort zone brings out the best in you.
This row is that for Maddie and it's not lost on her that it's a privilege to undertake this adventure. Her hope is to achieve more than just crossing an ocean; to build resilience, deliver high performance and to learn from others.
Health, fitness and physical preparation
Grace Gilbert
Grace is the ultimate adventure seeker with a hunger for big challenges and pushing herself.
With a strong sporting and adventure CV including Marathon des Sables, climbing Kilimanjaro, cycling John O'Groats to Lands End, 70.3 and full Ironmans and the KONA World Champs in 2022, Grace felt something mega had to come next to add to the list.
With absolutely no rowing experience and a preference for swimming in a clear chlorinated square, this is going to be the adventure of a lifetime and quite far out her comfort zone.