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A sixty minute documentary currently in
post-production about the only American entry in
the world's toughest rowing race, the 2001 Atlantic
Rowing Challenge. (No information on whether it ws
every completed or not..)
"Many of the men I talked to… felt that
there was no middle ground anymore. Either you were
this winner on display who just dominated
everything and was larger than life… or you
were a nobody, a loser." (Susan Faludi, author of
Stiffed:
The Betrayal of the American Man)
In the fall of 2001 John Zeigler and Tom Mailhot
spent fifty-eight days at sea racing across the
Atlantic Ocean in a rowboat. At fifty-one and
forty-one they were among the oldest competitors to
participate in the Atlantic Rowing Challenge, a
three thousand mile race from the Canary Islands to
Barbados. They spent three years preparing for the
event in order to make their dream of winning
possible, but once on the water, their boat and
their bodies did not respond as they'd hoped. They
suffered through to an eleventh place finish —
the envy of those who came in behind them… but
were left conflicted about the experience. Row Hard
No Excuses is an observational documentary that
follows Tom and John's endeavor and asks the
questions why row an ocean and why the sense of
failure.
Ocean rowing, as a sport, has only been around
since the inaugural Atlantic Challenge race in
1997. Before then crossings were strictly Guinness
Book of World Record affairs. In fact, fewer people
have rowed across the Atlantic than have climbed
Mount Everest. Race rules pit two-person teams
against each other rowing unassisted with no food
drops or navigational aid. Rowers have to contend
with sleep deprivation, seasickness, isolation,
boredom and cramped living conditions. Even with a
steep entry fee and no prize money, the 2001 race
drew thirty-six teams from thirteen nations
including New Zealand, Australia, South Africa,
China, and eight European countries.
An inherently exciting sports and adventure
story on the surface, Row Hard No Excuses is
more importantly an intimate portrait of two
middle-aged American men and a deeper exploration
of their personal quest. Although the film plays
out on a grand scale, our approach is to maintain
emotional intimacy throughout. Drawing from a
compelling video diary of their two months at sea,
it makes the audience Tom and John's companions and
takes them for a ride across the Atlantic. Told
with a curious and compassionate point of view, it
doesn't shy away from the parts of their journey
that are difficult and flawed, but presents this
material with sensitivity. John and Tom's struggle
to see their crossing as more than a failure speaks
volumes about our culture's relationship with
achievement, our unforgiving masculine ideal and
the challenges of midlife. By incorporating the
unique perspective of Tori Murden, the first woman
to row solo across an ocean, and by placing John
and Tom's story within the diverse context of the
other teams… men and women, young and
old… Row Hard No Excuses adapts the
race into a meditation about shattered expectations
and personal growth.
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