"it became something I want to do."
Ananya Prasad is hoping to become the “first woman of colour” to row solo across the Atlantic Ocean.
The 34-year-old from Sheffield aims to complete the 3,000-mile crossing from La Gomera, in the Canary Islands, to Antigua.
She is scheduled to leave La Gomera on December 12, 2024.
Ananya will be raising money for the Mental Health Foundation and her uncle’s orphanage in India but she also wants to help increase diversity in adventure sport and rowing.
She said: “I hope by participating that one day women and people of colour in adventure sport isn’t something distinctive but the norm.”
Born in Bengaluru, Ananya moved to the UK with her family when she was five and has always had a passion for exercise, the outdoors and adventure.
She had followed the World’s Toughest Row event for several years but was unsure if it was for her.
Ananya continued: “I had the same opinion as everyone else, that this is amazing but absolutely crazy, and I’d never do anything like this whatsoever.
“Then, as I got to know more about the race, and the experience, and what you learn about yourself, it became something I want to do.”
Ananya had been physically preparing for the crossing and mastering “every nut and bolt” of her specially built 25ft ocean rowing boat in ahead of the journey.
But preparing mentally for between 60 and 80 days alone would be a huge challenge.
Ananya explained: “Dealing with things on your own is the most important thing.
“Being able to visualise things going wrong and the steps I’m going to take to not panic.”
Other rowers have advised Ananya to remember why she was taking part.
She said:
“If you were just doing this for yourself, it’d be easy to quit and say ‘I gave it my best, it’s okay’.”
“[But] if you’re doing it for something outside yourself, or you have a good reason why you’re doing it, then that’s going to help you stay on track and push you through.”
She is supporting the Mental Health Foundation due to her own struggles and due it being “ridiculously and unnecessarily stigmatised”.
The other charity is called the Deenabandhu Trust, where she has volunteered during trips with her family.
Women of colour have rowed the Atlantic as part of a team but Ananya aims to be the first to do it alone.
She told the BBC: “The lack of diversity in adventure sport has always been very apparent to me.
“While there are a myriad of reasons for this, I hope to inspire more people of colour and women into adventure sport and rowing and offer some representation to the outdoors for women of colour.
“So far fewer than 25 women have rowed solo across an ocean and I would become the first woman of colour to do this solo.”
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