ROW4MND: Rowers face tough start on their four-year charity quest
An experienced rowing team, who aim to raise £57m in the fight against Motor Neurone Disease (MND), have taken drastic action on the first part of their four-year charity expedition.
Aaron Kneebone, Liz Wardley, Mike Bates and Matt Parker set off on their first challenge on July 25 – rowing from Land's End to John O’Groats.
The team aim to row back to Land's End from John O'Groats in 2026, go from California to Hawaii in 2027 and from New York to London in 2028.
But after encountering strong tides and 20 knot headwinds on the first three days of their challenge, the ROW4MND crew diverted away from their intended target of South East Ireland and headed for the Welsh coast near to Milford Haven.
They then took the difficult decision to land and head back to the start line to continue their row via the English Channel and North Sea.
The crew, who have a collective 270 days of ocean rowing experience, primarily in the Atlantic and Pacific, described the conditions as some of the “most challenging” they have encountered.
South Yorkshire-born Mike, a former Royal Marine commando and co-founder of the campaign who lives in Leeds, said: “This is one of the most experienced ocean-going crews ever assembled, so this wasn’t a decision that was taken lightly. It speaks to the character of the crew that we are heading straight back to the start line to recommence our mission.”
He said he co-founded ROW4MND “to take real action” for rugby players Rob Burrow and Doddie Weir, who died after being diagnosed with the condition, “and for the thousands of people and their families who need a breakthrough”. He added: “We’ll carry their stories with us every mile of the way.”
Matt Parker, CEO of Babble and co-founder of ROW4MND, said: “I feel genuinely proud that we made this decision to change course, in what was a highly dynamic and evolving situation.
"We have a ‘no regrets policy’ as a team and had agreed that going for Ireland would be extremely challenging but something we had to attempt. We made over 100 miles of progress in very difficult conditions. Ultimately, the safety of our crew and project is the key consideration and we knew that we had to take bold and decisive action.”
Former Leeds Rhinos and England rugby league player Kevin Sinfield, who supported Rob Burrow throughout his illness and is a key figure in the MND fundraising movement is in full support of this campaign.
He 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.”