We think of rowing and we think of blazers and coxswains or, even, Cambridge and the Winklevoss twins. But the Atlantic Challenge—a 3,000-mile row presented by Talisker Whisky—is different. To cross the ocean, it costs competitors months of their lives and also an average of 40 pounds. Teams (which consist of solos as well as pairs and fours) race from San Sebastián de La Gomera in the Canary Islands to English Harbour in Antigua, captives of their boats through torrents and storms while adhering to brutish limitations such as: “No outside assistance is permitted throughout the race. Each team shall carry all necessary food, cooking gas, medical kit, and safety equipment for the entire crossing.” The Old Man and the Sea this is not.
Matteo Perucchini, the athlete who won as a solo with team Sogno Atlantico, started to row as a child, boating around the north of Italy. His experience continued with his education (at Cardiff University and then at University of Edinburgh and University of Cambridge), and he competed in the Great River Race on the Thames River.
Recently, Perucchini crossed the ocean in 52 days, from December 20, 2015, to February 15, 2016. Yes, that’s 52 days of consuming 7,500 calories a day and exercising steadily for 16 to 20 hours. The Atlantic Challenge isn’t a diet—it’s the diet. En route, Perucchini was transformed from 238 pounds of muscle to an (essentially emaciated) 198 pounds, losing 40 overall. For him, the results were a product of his exertion as well as his nausea.
“Initially, although I had a very structured plan for my diet, the shock of going out into the open ocean was significant and, basically, the ocean had different plans and I was seasick for four days. After that, I really struggled to eat, even though I wasn’t seasick. My body didn’t want to ingest any food, so I was really forcing myself to eat, which was a struggle. I was rowing, but I still wasn’t really hungry and I was losing a lot of weight, so it was a fight.”
But with time, Perucchini acclimated to his freeze-dried rations—which, because he was diagnosed with celiac disease, were gluten-free: “I tried to really mix it up. Even if it was chili con carne, I tried to take them from multiple companies so I wouldn’t get bored of the same taste. And they’re okay! They’re not too bad. Some of them are horrendous, but some of them aren’t too bad… I struggled to find breakfast meals that had no gluten and no eggs, so I switched between the puddings. The chocolate puddings were quite nice, actually.”
His secret? Boosting the calories (and the taste) of his meals with the addition of Nutella, olive oil, and peanut butter. Plus, a treat he discovered while training: pork scratching (a caloric “pub” food that is packed with protein).
Perucchini won the Atlantic Challenge, beating the pair of South Africans who had become his main competitors. “It was a great sensation. It was the icing on the cake. I had been at sea for 52 days. I hadn’t seen anybody for 52 days. You have these super yachts all around you and people are shouting and people are going a bit crazy and it was very overwhelming. My family and my girlfriend were on a small boat next to the finish line, and I didn’t even recognize them, I was so dazed and confused. You definitely shed a few tears.”
And of course he celebrated his big win with the feast of his dreams.
“The first thing I had to eat when I arrived was something I craved throughout the crossing, which was ice cream. I had it as my first meal: ice cream and pizza. The first night when I was in Antigua, I went to the supermarket and there was a huge tub of ice cream. It was coconut and cherry, and I sat down and went through the thing in one sitting. It was a bit greedy, but it was okay—I had just rowed across the ocean.”
Meal 1
Adventure Foods Chocolate Mousse (~300 calories)
Meal 2
Expedition Foods Beef and Potato Hotpot (~800 calories)
Meal 3
Extreme Adventure Foods Mexican Chili Con Carne (~800 calories)
Meal 4
Mountain House Potato and Salmon in Dill Sauce (~800 calories)
Meal 5
Bla Bland Rice Pudding with Strawberries (~300 calories)
Assorted Snacks
Cereal (with dried milk)
Cereal bars
Chocolate bars
Coffee (with protein powder)
Dried fruits (e.g. apricot, banana, coconut, and mango)
Energy gels
Jerkies
Nuts
Olives
Protein Bars
Scoops of Nutella and/or peanut butter
