|  |  |  | | | | Samson's oarsome challenge | | | | |
| |  Sam Knight
Release Date: 20th January 2004
A man from Nottinghamshire is aiming to become the youngest person to row solo across the Atlantic. Sam Knight, a 23-year-old Oxford graduate, will complete the amazing feat when he takes part in the first-ever solo rowing race across the world's second largest ocean.
Sam is certainly not afraid of a challenge. Not only will he pull himself across 3,000 miles of open sea but he is also desperate to pull in thousands of pounds for Leukaemia Research. This is a cause very close to his heart as Sam's mother, Jessica has myeloma, a cancer of the blood related to leukaemia. Several of his friends have also lost close family to cancers of the blood such as leukaemia.
Jessica is undergoing treatment at Nottingham City Hospital and has already had two transplants using the stem cells from her own bone marrow (see notes for editors). Now doctors are hoping to find Jessica, 54, a donor transplant to keep her cancer in remission.
To enter the Atlantic Rowing Race Sam had to raise a total of £25,000. "But now the real work begins, raising money for charity," says Sam "This is why I have been training to row 10 hours a day for more than two months."
"Knowing that my efforts will be helping patients with diseases such as leukaemia, myeloma and lymphoma, will help me get through the low points of the trip," says Sam.
As a student at Oxford University, Sam was part of the boat race squad in 2002. So he is well used to the strict training regime that will prepare him for the race, which sets off from the Canary Islands on January 20th.
During his epic voyage Sam will sleep and shelter in a cabin at the back of the 7m boat, named Pacific Pete. The boat, a veteran of several cross Atlantic trips, is named after the first person to row the Pacific - Peter Bird.
"I know this will be an amazingly difficult event - but I am really looking forward to it," he adds.
To sponsor Sam you can do so in a number of ways; ? Look up his website on the internet at www.samknightatlanticrow.com. ? Write to Sam's address; Samson Knight, 11 Beacon Hill Rd, Newark, Notts, NG24 1NT
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