Meet the U.S. Bank employee taking on ‘The World’s Toughest Row’

Jo Murray, senior vice president in Global Corporate Trust, is preparing to row across the Atlantic Ocean

After the youngest of Jo Murray's two sons left home, she decided to embrace the new chapter in her life and embark on a new adventure - one that will involve rowing some 3,000 miles across the open ocean from the Canary Islands off the Coast of North Africa to the West Indies in the Caribbean.

"My children are grown up, and I thought it would be lovely to have a challenge and adventure, and if I'm not going to do it now when am I going to do it?" said Murray, senior vice president in U.S. Bank's Global Corporate Trust.

London-based Murray is on a team with two other women training for The World's Toughest Row, which will take place in December 2025. They've already been planning and training for the event for over 18 months, and preparation for the undertaking is no small feat. First, there was securing the specialized ocean rowing boat, which costs $100,000 and is designed to withstand capsizing in giant ocean waves and contains enough compartments to hold the team's food and other supplies for the entire journey. Then there's funding and understanding all the equipment needed to support the crossing and the extensive safety preparations, ranging from mandatory medical, sea survival and navigation training to required number of hours of documented night and open water rowing.

"Part of the reason we selected The World's Toughest Row is we wanted to have an adventure, but we didn't want to be stupid about it," Murray said. "It's part of an organized row, and there are safety precautions and rules and regulations coming out of your ears.

It's a little like banking in that regard," she added with a laugh.

Finally, there is the physical preparation. Murray already was an avid coastal rower, taking up the sport in earnest about six years ago. The logistics of keeping a boat rowing properly on course, night and day, without interruption for an estimated 45 days straight brings its own unique challenges. Murray is focusing on building up her core strength and flexibility so her body can withstand rowing while the boat is rolled by ocean waves that could potentially top 30 feet.

"The most important thing is not getting injured, because if something happens and one of you can't row you are really in trouble," she said.

Beyond the challenge of continuously rowing, the team also has to successfully navigate trading spots within the boat every two or three hours, allowing each of the team members to briefly nap or prepare food so they each can consume the estimated 4,000 calories they will need each day. Murray plans to acclimate her body for that schedule by setting her alarm for all hours of the night and hopping on her rowing machine so she knows how to competently row while profoundly sleep-deprived.