Green Lane were delighted to welcome record breaking rower Isabel Burnham to Green Lane on Friday 16th March 2020 as part of our Sport Relief Day. Isabel was part of a record-breaking coxless four female team who rowed from California to Australia unaided in 2015/16. The journey took the team 9 months and covered over 8,000 miles, with stops in Hawaii and Samoa. The crew rowed two-at-a-time, for two hours on, followed by two hours off. With several days to go, they ran out of food. Psychological stress, including fear and isolation, was a major challenge faced by each of the crew members.
Lots of year groups got to try rowing on a rowing machine under Isabel’s instruction and try ‘dry rowing’ as part of a team. They were challenged to row in time under the guidance of a nominated cox.
We really enjoyed Isabel’s whole school assembly where she shared about her experiences. It was fantastic to hear her inspirational story and the children got to ask lots of interesting questions. A big thank you to Isabel for coming in and sharing your incredible story. You inspired each and every one of us!

A film was made showing the team’s incredible journey called “Losing Sight of Shore (2017)” – we highly recommend it!