"We want to help find a cure for MND," says Mike Bates former marine and skipper of ROW4MND hoping to raise £57m
A conversation with rugby league legend and marathon fund-raiser Kevin Sinfield a few years ago led to the creation of ROW4MND, an unprecedented four year endurance campaign to raise £57m for Motor Neurone Disease research.
The conversation with Kevin was with Leeds former intelligence officer and record-breaking rower Mike Bates who had also been talking with fellow endurance rower Matt Parker.
"It was the coming together of a few conversations during the same week. Matt wanted to row across an ocean and Kevin was looking at what he might do after his runs for MND and I said why don’t we do this rowing campaign?
"We wanted to do something to change the landscape around MND. It is such a cruel disease. Ocean rowing is still quite a niche activity and captures people attention. When you see someone out at sea alone with mother nature for five or six weeks it really inspires people and hopefully will generate the sort of funds we want to raise.”
In December 2022 Mike from Roundhay became the fastest Britain in history to complete the Talisker Whiskey Atlantic Challenge, a 3,000 mile unsupported solo row in 46 days, six hours and 10 minutes. He inspired many people across the world and raised £137,000 for the Leeds hospital unit that saved his youngest son's life after he was born prematurely and nearly died.
This time skipper Mike isn’t alone, he is part of an experienced crew made up of Matt Parker, Aaron Kneebone and Liz Wardley. Three of the crew are highly experienced ocean rowers, with multiple records between them.
They aim to complete four endurance rows over four years and raise £57m for MND Inspired by sportsmen Rob Burrow and Doddie Weir who both lost their lives to the cruel disease – the amount comes from the shirt numbers of the two rugby players. They are raising funds for three charities, The My Name is Doddie Foundation, Leeds Hospitals Charity, and the MND Association.
"The only thing we ask is that those charities spend the money on research,” says Mike. "Every mile we row is a statement. A symbol of the fight against a disease that still has no cure. MND affects 1 in 300 people. There’s no way to predict it. No way to prevent it. And no effective treatment that can stop it.
“What we want is to try to give people hope. We’re using the power of physical endurance and extreme challenge to raise the funds that can accelerate research, back clinical trials, and ultimately help find a cure.”
The campaign involves some of the most ambitious rowing challenges ever attempted, says Mike, spanning rocky British coastlines, the vast deep open water of the Pacific Ocean, and the brutal North Atlantic. Each year, the team will tackle a new leg — increasing in scale, risk, and difficulty — with the goal of accelerating research and hope for those affected.
"The reason the campaign is over four years is that we wanted something that would grow in momentum and difficulty ending in a world record attempt in 2028 rowing from New York to London – only two boats have ever made it," says Mike.
They completed the first half of their round-Britain circumnavigation in August and had to overcome some serious challenges. After initially rowing North into the Irish Sea, facing strong headwinds along the way, the crew made the decision to return to the start line and continue their journey East via the English Channel.
“Coastal rowing is very different to ocean rowing, and we’ve encountered some of the most challenging conditions that any of us have faced – including in the Atlantic and Pacific,” says Mike. “It’s about having a set of team value before you set off which is vital or else you won’t succeed. We had three key words: Safe, Savour and Set – be ready to go again. If any decision didn’t match the first one, as the skipper we weren’t doing it. We had to make sure we stayed true to those values because when you are sleep deprived, tired, hungry and lonely on a nine metre rowing boat you can’t escape from, tensions get quite high so it’s really important to come back to those three very simple key metrics. We did that every single time and so we stepped off the boat as friends.”
In the 21 days after departing Land’s End, they had to contend the impacts of Storm Floris, sleep deprivation, and even being mistaken for a ‘migrant dinghy’ by an MP, which drew worldwide media attention and boosted donations by upwards of £30,000. By the time they reached the Forth Bridge, the crew had rowed approximately 900 miles and collectively burned around 450,000 calories.
“This year’s row has exceeded our wildest dreams, and we now have a platform to build on," says Mike. “After completing the second half of our circumnavigation in 2026, we’ll row from California to Hawaii in 2027 and then finish by completing a world record breaking row across the North Atlantic in 2028, from New York to London.”
Former England rugby league captain, Kevin Sinfield, who supported Rob Burrow throughout his illness and is a key figure in the MND fundraising movement, said:“What Matt, Mike and the ROW4MND crew are doing is nothing short of extraordinary. It’s a powerful show of commitment, not just to raising funds, but to carrying the legacy of two incredible men who before and after their fight with MND. Every stroke they row sends a message that the MND community is not alone and I’m proud to support them.”
As a former Royal Marine deployed to places like Afghanistan in the aftermath of 911 and Iraq, Mike has the physical and mental strength needed to complete such extreme challenges.
After serving in the Marines he joined as the intelligence services of the MOD as a covert operations leader and for 15 year he worked under cover gathering intelligence and keeping the country safe after the 7/7 attacks in London. He was also one of the first people deployed after the Manchester Arena bombings. “You spend a lot of time in the shadows stopping things from happening. The Manchester bombing was very personal to us because it was the one that got through, it’s hard to take when you have dedicated your life to keeping people safe.”
"I loved that job and half my entire life was dedicated to serving our country.” But Mike says he was forced to leave aged 40 after the MOD refused to support his Atlantic row.
"They gave me a choice – it’s either your career or raise money to give back to the hospital that saved my son. So I made a tough decision in lockdown to leave that secure career. But it made me determined to try to inspire other to fulfill their full potential
“I am nothing special, I’m from Doncaster, I’m a working class kid from a broken home I’ve got a handful of GCSEs no A’levels and no degree but what I do believe is the only limits you have in life are the ones you place on yourself. My strapline is a live a life without limits.”
Mike is now an inspirational speaker, no longer having to live his life in the shadows and now able to see the benefits of what he does.
He is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt and after lockdown he felt compelled to create a community for others to reconnect after lockdown.
In December 2020 he co-founded Gracie Barra Roundhay Leeds and began coaching and teaching BJJ within his local community. GBRL quickly became one of the fastest-growing BJJ academies in the world and now stands as one of the most successful Gracie Barra academies in Europe with over 500 students.
As if that wasn't enough in March this year he co-founded UNIFY with the aim of helping to support men of all ages. UNIFY's mission is to change the conversation around men and men's health, helping to break down the stigma associated with the challenges men face and to break the devastating statistics around male suicide and loneliness.
"I now get to see the difference I make face to face.”