In December 2026, two fathers with children at St Andrew’s, Berkshire and Bradfield will embark on the gruelling extreme endurance race - Worlds Toughest Row, joining individuals and teams from across the globe to test themselves against mother nature, and compete to row the daunting 3,000 nautical mile navigation across the Atlantic, from La Gomera - Spain to Antigua.  The duration is not precise, at sea there are many unforeseen hurdles, with teams battling sleep deprivation, salt sores, and the physical extremes that the row inflicts.  But their ambition is clear, to be the fastest in their class!

Having been keen rowers since University, Chris Ogden and Mike Pearson took up fine sculling as a pair on the Goring Gap stretch of the River Thames, some 7 or more years ago.  Sharing a very similar life ethos – to be the best of themselves and to inspire others to be the best they can be, they saw no better endurance event than WTR to inspire their children, and push the boundaries of physical and mental resilience to fulfil a challenge of a lifetime.

Beyond their very personal motivations, the campaign was also a fantastic opportunity to give something back to a cause greater than their own.  “…we could not think of a greater or more complementary cause than the plight of the planets oceans, and to build a campaign that highlights their importance, and some of the amazing work individuals and organisations are undertaking to protect and restore this vital global resource for generations to come”. 

Chris and Mike have set themselves an ambitious fundraising target, and have partnered with two fantastic Marine Conservation organisations that are hugely action orientated, have global reach, and work tirelessly in two different yet fundamental ocean and marine health restoration areas; Blue Marine Foundation - a charity dedicated to restoring the ocean to health by addressing overfishing, one of the world’s biggest environmental problems, and The Ocean Cleanup - a nonprofit environmental engineering organization based in the Netherlands that develops and deploys technology to extract plastic pollution from the oceans and to capture it in rivers before it can reach the ocean.

“…we hope our campaign, the Charities that shape our cause, and scale of human endeavour, inspire people to get involved and be part of something truly remarkable”.

For more information;

on ‘Beyond the Blue’ visit https://www.beyondtheblue.org.uk;

on ‘World’s Toughest Row’ visit https://www.worldstoughestrow.com/the-atlantic/2026-race-entrants/

If you would like to support Chris and Mike, visit their Giving Page

Chris and Mike follow Old Bradfieldian Henry Eastick (F 12-17) who completed the World’s Toughest Row challenge in 2025, raising in excess of £40,000 for the Alexander Devine Children’s Hospice.