BetterYou supports British female rowers’ historic Pacific crossing
Credit: Seas the Day
Supplements brand BetterYou has supported British female ocean rowing duo Jess Rowe (28) and Miriam Payne (26) in their historic crossing of the Pacific.
Rowing non-stop and unassisted from Lima in Peru to the Australian city of Cairns in a bid to become the youngest all-female crew to complete the 8,213 nautical mile journey, the pair completed the course in just under six months.
Upon reaching land they told BBC Breakfast that they caught fish and grew their own microgreens on board the nine-metre rowboat to keep their strength up, whilst praising their partnership with BetterYou which worked with both athletes for a year prior to setting sail, analyzing blood samples and nutrient levels to create tailored supplement plans to keep each woman strong during the journey.
The brand provided specially formulated vitamin sprays designed to meet the crew’s ‘unique dietary, physical and mental demands’, along with topical and ingestible magnesium products to help them recover and hydrate between rowing shifts during the 165 day passage.
Unboxing some BetterYou products in a video prior to beginning the voyage, Payne commented on the brand’s bespoke Elite Nutrition Personalised Oral Sprays: “We might end up coming off the ocean healthier than we go onto it at this rate! We’ve got some lovely gifts from BetterYou. So, we’ve been doing some blood tests throughout … preparation with BetterYou so they can make us some personalized vitamins for the crossing.”
Added Row: “It was actually done for my Atlantic row. We basically had the vitamins that we are deficient in put into singular bottles of vitamin sprays. These are really good for people like me who struggle to swallow pills. It gets into the bloodstream a lot faster.”
“The BetterYou team have thought of everything — from a fuss-free spray we can take anytime (no water or food needed) to our own colour-coded bottles so we don’t mix them up on those extra-tired days,” the duo said.
Magnificent magnesium
During a separate sponsored ad filmed on board, Payne explained that something the pair had learnt at sea was the importance of magnesium. “It’s so important for normal healthy cell function. If you don’t have enough magnesium in your body you won’t absorb other vitamins and minerals very well. For us specifically we find magnesium really helpful for reducing muscle fatigue, cramps and tiredness, but also helping our sleep. We have a shift pattern of two hours on, two hours off … and that’s been for three months now. Pretty punishing. Our absolute favourite is the Sleep Lotion; it’s a big part of our nighttime routine. It smells so good. Then we’ve got the Magnesium Gel. We use that during the day. We’ve found it’s been really good for helping relieve tight muscles. It’s really hard to stretch on this boat so that’s where this comes in and makes a difference.”
“We supported Jess when she rowed the Atlantic in the Talasker Challenge,” comments Andrew Thomas, founder and CEO of BetterYou. “She was in a team of four and it was the first time I had properly developed a truly personalized nutrition programme based upon the individual blood [and] dietary analysis as well as the unique nature of the task. Some time after, Jess introduced me to Miriam, who had successfully rowed the Atlantic solo in the same year, and announced they were going to row across the Pacific Ocean, non-stop and unsupported. There was absolutely no doubt in my mind that they would achieve this. I don’t believe failure has ever entered their minds either and no matter what they wanted from me I knew I was in.
“The involvement gave me the opportunity to fine-tune our personalized nutrition programme for elite athletes. I worked with them for a full year, assessing their dietary intake, their training programme and testing serum levels in response to supplementation. Their challenge was a unique one as it required unparalleled levels of physical endurance as well as cognitive performance. Based on nutritional work I had undertaken with an Antarctic expedition in 2021 I knew the nutritional support needed to be a combination of physical resilience, immune system support and enhanced decision-making. Navigating an ocean the size of the Pacific and often doing so alone and at night when highly exhausted required a very particular nutritional support programme to support mental health and strength.
“Their pure and unrelenting ‘can-do’ attitude meant they became ‘guinea pigs’ for a number of rather inventive and ingenious nutritional initiatives and I couldn’t be more proud of them and my team of formulators.
“The pair have a chemistry and self-belief that you only ever see once in a while. They have that rare balance of steely determination, quiet confidence and great humility. Although our relationship is in essence a business one, the nature of Miriam and Jess, their personality and values, has meant that this has developed into a very personal relationship indeed. One I know my entire team has invested in.”
Rowe and Payne were rowing to raise money for The Outward Bound Trust, which helps young people to develop life skills and resilience through adventure. Upon reaching Cairns the duo had raised more than £86,000 for the charity.
By Rosie Greenaway, editor