Anton Wright
Born1974 (age 49–50)
NationalityBritish
Occupation(s)Adventurer, rowing coach, and television personality
Websitewww.antonwright.com

Anton Wright is an adventurer, rowing coach, and—alongside Mark de Rond—holder of the Guinness World Record for the first unsupported row of the navigable length of the Amazon River.

Career

Clare College, Cambridge

Anton Wright was the head coach and boathouse manager at Clare College, Cambridge, from 2010 to 2017.[1]

'Row the Amazon': The first unsupported row of the Amazon River

The 'Row the Amazon' expedition boat with crew, Anton Wright and Mark de Rond

In September 2013, Anton and Mark de Rond began their attempt to be the first people to row the entire length of the Amazon River unsupported. They started in Nautu, Peru on 1 September 2013 and reached the Brazilian coastal town of Macapa six weeks later.[2][3] In an article about the expedition, Reuters explained the rowers "will brave piranhas, bandits and disease in an attempt to be the first crew to row the length of the Amazon river." and described how "...they will sleep in turns at night to keep watch for runaway logs in the water which could destroy their boat, anacondas, bull sharks, thieves, illegal logging and mining operators trying to keep their locations secret and drug traffickers in Brazil's vast rain-forest."[4]

An official Guinness World Record certificate[5] was presented to Anton and Mark at the British Consulate in São Paulo on 15 October 2013.[6]

The expedition raised money in aid of Leonard Cheshire Disability.[7]

'Row the Thames': The Parkside Challenge

Following the Amazon row, Anton returned to Cambridge and in 2015 the Row the Amazon boat was subsequently repaired by six boys from Parkside Community College in Cambridge, during a 14-week adventure experience intended to develop pride and life skills in local school children,[8][9] which concluded in a largely unsupported row of a 176-mile stretch of the River Thames.

Television

Eden

In 2016, Anton participated in the experimental British reality TV show Eden. He was described by the Guardian as "Eden's stand-out character"[10] looking for 'a shot at reinvention'.[11]

References

  1. ↑ "Eden - All 4". www.channel4.com. Retrieved 15 August 2016.
  2. ↑ "Row the Amazon". www.rowtheamazon.com. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
  3. ↑ "Amazon rowers Mark de Rond and Anton Wright finish their 2,000-mile journey". 15 October 2013. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
  4. ↑ "Briton, Dutchman seek to be first to row the Amazon". Retrieved 23 July 2016.
  5. ↑ "First row of the navigable length of the Amazon River". Retrieved 23 July 2016.
  6. ↑ "Epic Amazon row ends". 16 October 2013. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
  7. ↑ Rond, Mark de. "Virgin Money Giving | Fundraising | Anton and Mark Row the Amazon". Virgin Money Giving. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
  8. ↑ "How Parkside Rowing Challenge could end the 'town vs gown' divide". 5 January 2015. Retrieved 15 August 2016.
  9. ↑ "New-look Thames Row boat unveiled at Grafton Centre". 24 March 2015. Retrieved 15 August 2016.
  10. ↑ Heritage, Stuart (19 July 2016). "Eden review – the world's newest reality TV show is Love Island, with trench foot". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 5 November 2016.
  11. ↑ Tate, Gabriel (12 July 2016). "Kneedeep in mud and midges: my trip to Eden". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
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