I have enjoyed a successful season competing in duathlon and triathlon and have bumped into more than a few of you not just at races but also down at Liquid Leisure where I have been helping out through the Summer. My season's highlights have included coming fourth in my age group at the World Duathlon Championships, second in my age group at the World Long Distance Triathlon Champonships and second in my age group at Ironman UK. After the challenge of Ironman, I knew I wanted to continue with races of the same distance, but I wasn’t prepared to wait until next season. So I was ready for a new challenge.

I was asked to join Simon Chalk (a record-breaking ocean rower) and four others in an all-British crew, in an attempt to break the World Record for rowing across the Atlantic Ocean. The record of 35 days was set way back in 1992 by a French team, and is the most sought-after and longest-standing record in ocean rowing.

On 2nd December 2007 we will be setting off from La Gomera in the Canary Islands to row 2,961 miles, unsupported, to Antigua in the West Indies. We will be using a combination of state-of-the-art technology and good old-fashioned grit and determination. However, the physical part of this challenge is only half the story. In the weeks at sea, we will also face tremendous mental hardships. Training mentally for this challenge is something that we anticipate to be far harder than the physical challenge. As much as anything can, the long lonely miles spent riding the bike in all weathers will contribute to helping me deal with the ordeal ahead, but it is more about making my body do what it is not used to.

I am now making myself train at night, be awake at strange times and continue to push myself when all I want to do is sleep. The philosophy of preparing for the challenge is somewhat different to preparing for triathlon. Training is no longer about high performance, it is more about completion. Lots of time lifting weights and rowing on machines is what I require to transform my body. The ability to cope with boredom is key, as is the need to toughen up both my hands (and my bottom) to reduce pain whilst at sea. If only rowing seats were more like bike saddles... The change in training was fun at first, but has made muscles ache which I didn’t think existed.

Not only has my training changed but also my diet, as I now have the hard task of putting on weight. No longer do I reach for a healthy snack and check the nutritional information of what I eat to make sure that it doesn’t contain too much fat or sugar: it is now about identifying the cheapest form of calories.

Of course, as with any such record attempt, I’m looking for individual and corporate partnerships with those who share my belief that hard work, determination, and dedication can lead to achieving any goal, no matter how difficult it may seem. We hope to raise a significant amount of money for a most worthy (and, given what we are doing, oddly appropriate) charity, WaterAid. Their aims are to help people escape the stranglehold of poverty and disease caused by living without safe water and sanitation. To find out more about this world record attempt please visit our website, www.atlanticsix.com or you can contact me, Mike Martin, on 07952 248 290.