ADVENTURE OF A LIFETIME: CHRIS MARTIN

The life story of Chris Martin OH (1999) is one that Hampton is rightly proud of. An ocean rower whose feats of endurance are so extraordinary that they are, at times, difficult to comprehend. Whilst he could justifiably pat himself on the back and settle for being a sporting colossus, instead he has chosen to channel his talent and energy into a business that has recently started providing support to armed forces veterans who have faced life changing challenges.

Martin began his time at Hampton as a rugby player but recalls the first time he got in a boat, being hooked. “I capsized more times than anyone else but it didn’t matter. I absolutely loved it." Martin became a key component in a successful Hampton eight and went on to be part of the British Junior Squad.

Rowing for Molesey Rowing Club and with the support of National Lottery funding, Martin was able to focus on training while undertaking a university degree. While at Brunel, Martin would start his day at 5.30am with a 45 minute bike ride to the boat house. After a gruelling training session he biked back for lectures before returning to the boat house for evening training. “It was just utterly exhausting but it was the best way to get super fit.”

His hard work led to a call up to the British Under 23 squad which meant training with the crew every weekend. Success at multiple World Junior Championships catapulted Martin into the Senior World Rowing Championship where he won a Bronze medal in 2001.

By his own admission, his form and results then took a dip. After his funding was cut it became increasingly difficult to maintain a professional rower’s training regime.

After a period of soul searching, Martin decided that he would turn his oar to ocean rowing. His achievements are the stuff of legend. In 2005 he set out to row the Atlantic Ocean solo, the 31st person in history to complete the challenge. A route of a mere 4,700km. Having considered attempting to complete the course in record time, other elements rendered this goal unachievable. He reflected that whilst you might hold a record today, there’s always someone out there looking to take it away from you. However, being the first person to overcome a challenge is etched in history for eternity. After crossing the Atlantic in 68 days he set out to find his personal, historical challenge.

Martin soon met former Royal Marine Mick Dawson who invited him to row the North Pacific with him as a pair. After three years of training, in May 2009, Martin and Dawson began their journey from Choshi in Japan with an ultimate target destination of San Francisco. 189 days, 10 hours and 55 minutes later they rowed their boat underneath the Golden Gate Bridge.

The reception they received overwhelmed the pair. Greeted by the Mayor of San Francisco and a crowd so large that the pontoon sank, they were awarded a Guinness World Record for being the first team to achieve the feat of rowing across the North Pacific Ocean. Martin proudly told me: “No one can take that away from me. It’s quite special.”

“The impact our little row had on other people was unbelievable. I decided that I wanted to help people have those incredible experiences on the ocean.” In 2011 Martin founded New Ocean Wave and, to date, he has helped around 170 people row an ocean.

Referring to the positive impacts on mental health and wellbeing that sport can provide Martin told me: “You never regret going for a run. It’s the same with rowing. Even a bad row is a good row as you’ve definitely made the boat move faster than it would have done had you not been in it!”