Fit Philanthropy: 22-Year-Old Rows Across Atlantic for Water

With two oars and one strong sense of determination, 22-year-old Katie Spotz recently became the youngest person ever to complete a solo row across the Atlantic Ocean and the first American to row continent to continent.

But those accomplishments are only secondary to her bigger goal of raising money and awareness for the one billion people on this planet who don't have access to safe drinking water.

"My college professor once told me that 'the war of the future will be on water' and that really stuck with me," Spotz said. So, even though the Ohio native had only begun rowing a year and a half ago, she felt the need to spend time on the water for those who don't have any.

Seventy days and 3,000 miles later, Spotz has done just that. Her initial goal was to raise $30,000 for the Blue Planet Run Foundation -- a nonprofit organization that provides clean drinking water to impoverished communities. But keeping within her "go big or go home" style, Katie has more than doubled this goal by raising $75,000. "This money will go a long way," she said. "It will give 2,500 people clean drinking water who didn't have it before, including people in Haiti."

Spotz admits that spending two and a half months rowing from Africa to South America by herself was not easy. "Some days I wished I was back on land," she said. "But other days, there was no place else I'd rather be."

Existing on a diet of dried fruit, dehydrated meals and energy bars, Spotz never stopped or had any support crew along the way. She spent an average of 10 hours a day rowing and at night she slept in an eight-foot coffin-like cabin to catch some sleep when she could. "I was sleep deprived out there and that played on my emotions," she admitted, "but I never lost sight of my goal. I would tell myself, 'just keep rowing.'"

Some would assume that this cross-Atlantic row is a big enough event for one lifetime, but to Spotz, it just gets added to an already lengthy list of accomplishments. At age 18, she ran her first marathon. Since then, she has cycled 3,300 miles across the United States from Seattle to D.C., run 150 miles across the Mojave Desert, placed first in her age group for a half-Ironman (1.2 mi. swim, 56 mi. bike, 13.1 mi. run) and completed a 62-mile ultra marathon in Australia. Spotz was also the first person to swim the entire length of the 325-mile Allegheny River, averaging 12 to 15 miles a day.

"One of the biggest things that holds us back is ourselves," Spotz said. "We have to question that and challenge that. I get curious to see how far I can go."

Hard to believe she's only 22. Makes you wonder what her resume will look like in another 22 years.


For more information about Katie's journey or to help the Blue Planet Run Foundation, visit rowforwater.com.

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