Nottingham graduate Grace Church (Sport and Exercise Science, 2025) is now a Guinness World Record holder after circumnavigating the coast of Great Britain by rowing boat!

The 22-year-old and her five crewmates in the 'Nautilus' took part in the , the self-proclaimed “World’s Toughest Rowing Race", which took place in June and July, setting no less than three individual records.

GB row final 800x

It was a dream come true. Crossing the finish line under Tower Bridge was the best moment of my life. Coming through with a flare in my hand, celebrating and hearing everyone鈥檚 family and friends was an incredible feeling that I鈥檒l never forget. To finish the challenge and come away with three world records made it even more special, it was all so surreal we all had the best time and found the whole thing so incredible. So much work goes into it before you even set off, training rows, courses, fundraising and securing sponsorship so to cross the finish line was such an amazing feeling I鈥檒l never forget!
Grace Church

A record row

The challenge saw two crews attempting to row 2,000 miles non-stop and unsupported around the coastline of Great Britain, all the while carrying out valuable oceanographic research.

Grace and her crew completed the challenge in 38 days, 3 hours, 41 minutes and 25 seconds, setting three world records:

  • Youngest woman ever to row around the UK unsupported.
  • Fastest mixed crew to row around the UK unsupported.
  • Fastest team of six to row around the UK unsupported.
GB row final 3

The second element of the challenge saw the competitors contribute to ocean research, the team’s boat acting as a floating science platform - collecting real-time data on ocean health, including; microplastics, environmental DNA, biodiversity, temperature, acoustics and salinity. 

This year's data will be analysed by scientists at the University of Portsmouth before being shared through The Crown Estate’s Marine Data Exchange, one of the world’s largest open access collections of marine industry data. The research contributes to a growing long term record of the health of UK coastal waters and will help scientists better understand the effects of human activity on marine ecosystems.

We all have different roles when we鈥檙e not rowing. The stern cabin does more of the science and navigation, while the bow cabin is more in charge of the anchor, water and food. The data from the 2023 event is already being used to help scientists understand the extent to which coastal waters are affected by recent spikes in global sea surface temperatures.
Grace Church

Grace credits Nottingham for playing a significant role in her development - both academically through her Sport and Exercise Science degree, and athletically through three years of rowing with the University Boat Club.

The second team taking part in the row in 2026, 'Rowmads', consisting of a five-man crew, became the first and fastest team of five to complete the GB Row Challenge unsupported, completing the row in 32 days, 30 minutes and 58 seconds.

For more about Grace's row, visit