The intrepid trio – made up of two of our alumnae, Abby Johnston, Class of 2007, and Charlotte Irving, Class of 2008, and their friend Kat Cordiner – will need to carry all their food with them when they take part in the ultimate endurance race, rowing across the Atlantic this December.

The team will set out in less than 60 days, and will have to carry everything they need to complete the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge with them, because once they set off from La Gomera, in the Canary Islands they are unlikely to see another boat or human being until their arrival in Antigua, more than 3,000 miles away.

They have teamed up with ActivEat, who make dehydrated meals for sports enthusiasts, for an innovative way of fuelling the team while fundraising into the bargain. Each meal purchased can contain a message of your choice, written on sweet edible paper, which will be placed inside for the crew to open, read and enjoy while they eat during their adventure.

You could surprise them with a poem, a joke, a quote, or even a secret! Anything to keep their spirits high. £1 from every meal purchased will be donated to Team ExtraOARdinary’s chosen charities – Cancer Research UK, MacMillan Cancer Support and the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity. Each meal costs £6.50 and you can buy them here:https://activeatfoods.com/extraoardinary/ until Sunday 17 October.

“I think this could be a real game changer for us,” says Abby, who in addition to being an alumna is now Senior Lead Rowing Coach at LEH. “Previous crews have told us how important food and snacks are for keeping up your morale. Something tasty can give you the lift you need, and if we also get a note of encouragement from our supporters at the same time, it really will make a vital difference. There’ll be no Christmas dinner for us and no New Year nibbles! But we’re absolutely determined to break the world record for the fastest female crew, so we need all the help we can get!”

The team will certainly require plenty of food to get them through the two month challenge. Each rower needs to consume 5,000 calories a day (the usual recommended daily intake of calories is 2,000 for women) and 10 litres of water (the recommended daily intake is usually about 1.5 litres).  Even if they can keep this up, most rowers lose about two stone, on average, crossing the Atlantic.

One of the essential items team ExtraOARdinary will carry with them is a water-maker, which should produce 20 litres of water in half an hour, if it’s working at full capacity.

The team is undertaking the mammoth challenge in the spirit of LEH’s school motto – Hope Favours the Bold.  We are calling on our wonderful LEH community to show them all the support we possibly can. We will be following their progress over the forthcoming weeks and months and cheering them on every inch of the way.

You can also follow their progress on Instagram: @weareextraoardinary or on their website: weareextraoardinary.com.