Published: 23 February 2023
Global Health MSc student William Revell recently completed a 24-hour row to raise money for charity. William’s row took place outside the entrance to St George’s Hospital and raised money for Médicins Sans Frontiéres (Doctors Without Borders).
A real physical and psychological challenge
William begins, “The idea of a 24-hour row had a few different influences. Having competed in Crossfit on numerous occasions, I have become very familiar with a rowing machine. I also felt that rowing would be fitting as a small reference to the ongoing migration situation we see on a number of European coastlines with those forced to leave their country.
I knew that rowing outdoors for 24 hours in February would be a real physical and psychological challenge, hopefully giving me some understanding of the experiences internally displaced people (IDP) and refugees face during cold winters.
- Will -
“The reason for choosing to raise money for Médicins Sans Frontiéres (MSF) - Doctors Without Borders - was inspired by my upbringing in the Middle East where neighbouring countries suffered from a lack of healthcare infrastructure or provision. When paired with my current MSc study in Global Health at St George’s, I felt MSF was the perfect choice of charity.
MSF provide healthcare all over the globe and in all manner of situations whilst following humanitarian and ethical principles. The current situation in Turkey and Syria is exactly where Doctors Without Borders would deploy."
- Will -
William decided to row from 2pm to 2pm for his 24-hour slot, during which he covered over 200km!
A real personal learning moment
“It was easy! Well… not quite.” William continues, “The first 14 hours really did fly by with all the incredible support I received.
Until approximately 4am, I was roughly 2km ahead of the current British 24-hour record with no sign of slowing down. This ended quite abruptly when the temperature plummeted to -4 degrees Celsius, and I found myself seizing up from poor choices in keeping warm.
- Will -
“The next four hours pushed me to a mental limit and past what I thought I was capable of at times. Looking back, this was my favourite part of the row as I believe it may have given me the slightest insight into the environmental impacts on IDP’s - a real personal learning moment.
The morning sunrise was a welcome arrival and helped me pick back up to a respectable pace just in time for all the Tooting firefighters to turn up and have a go! From there, the final few hours seemed insignificant and I decided to just push until the end with all the support around me."
- Will -
Worth every second
“Overall, I would say the row was a success in every way. Although the British record eluded me, the personal achievement and fantastic support through the 238km really embodied what I was trying to achieve.
“I also have to mention the St George's Hospital Boat Club who were instrumental in their support through fundraising during the event, rowing on the machine next to me for company, and simple words of encouragement.
I had family members, classmates, lecturers, hospital staff and even patients come to donate and support during my row, which was a real highlight. Finally, my partner, Imogen, a St George’s alumna and F1 doctor, stayed alongside me for the full 24 hours which really deserves recognition for her overall effort and dealing with a very sleep deprived, moody William at the end.
- Will -
“We have currently raised £2,633.30! This money is going to be donated to provide aid wherever in the world it is most needed. Some of that money may be spent on the earthquake response efforts in northwest Syria, where MSF have recently gained access, some may also be spent on the incredibly important efforts with maternal health in Afghanistan. Regardless of where it goes, all the donations will be used to aid those in need which has made those 24 hours worth every second.”
If you would like to donate to William's fundraiser, you can do so here.
Further information on how Doctors Without Borders use their donations can be found here.