Rowing Solo Across the Atlantic with Katie Spotz January 11, 2011

You’ve seen her on the evening news with Katie Couric and Diane Sawyer. You’ve listened to her incredible tale as she was interviewed by Anderson Cooper on CNN. You’ve followed along in the New York Times. Now, you have an opportunity to meet this extraordinary young woman in person!

70 days, 5 hours, 22 minutes. That’s how long it took 22-year-old Katie Spotz to row solo across the Atlantic Ocean. Yup, solo. A 2,500-mile journey from Senegal, on Africa’s west coast to South America, in open water with 50-foot waves and hurricane-force winds.

No stranger to overcoming challenges, Katie has run across deserts, cycled across America and was the first person to swim the 325-mile Allegheny River.

Katie believes that “it’s often ourselves who hold us back from doing new things in life.” Hear firsthand how she draws from her own inner strength to continually challenge herself. She speaks with honesty, humility, and passion about motivation, goal setting, success, failure, risk-taking, overcoming adversity and achieving what we set out to achieve, no matter how steep the odds.

Need a jolt of inspiration in your own life? This is an evening you won’t want to miss!

About the Presenter: A native of Mentor, Ohio, Katie Spotz was named Glamour's Woman of the Year in 2010. She has used her athletic achievements to raise funds for several non-profit organizations including the American Lung Association and Oxfam. Her solo row across the Atlantic helped raise more than $75,000 for the Blue Planet Run Foundation in 2010.

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