"An extraordinary mental and physical effort – something very, very special" is how the late Sir Peter Blake described Rob Hamill and the late Phil Stubbs' incredible achievement in winning the Atlantic Rowing Race in November 1997.
Marathon rowing champion Rob Hamill represented New Zealand in international rowing for 16 years. Rob’s numerous rowing achievements include a silver medal at the World Championships, gold at the Commonwealth Regatta and a world record on the Concept 2 rowing machine. Rob represented NZ at the Atlanta Olympics then teamed up with Phil and captured headlines around the world winning the gruelling Atlantic Rowing Race in 41 days, 2 hours and 55 minutes.
In the 2001 Trans-Atlantic Rowing Race Rob entered a two-boat campaign, with a women’s crew as the second entry. However, while the crews were in Tenerife preparing for departure, Rob came to the aid of a woman who was being beaten and in the process broke his hand. A replacement was flown in, and amazingly the men’s crew, who had not even trained together, defended the title. And the women’s crew came fourth. More outstanding results for a team and challenge that was put together and co-ordinated by Rob.
In 2003 Rob was Team Leader for the successful Holiday Shoppe Tranz-Atlantic Challenge, who made it a 3-peat of victories in the Atlantic Rowing Race for New Zealand. The team, made up of rowers Kevin Biggar and Jamie Fitzgerald, smashed the previous record by 21 hours.
Rob has spoken to over 100,000 school children throughout New Zealand to help them aspire to reach their goals. He also helps to organise ‘The Great Race’, an annual rowing 8s clash between Waikato and Cambridge/Oxford (UK) Universities on the Waikato River and his latest project is the Bridge to Bridge Rowing Challenge between Sydney and Auckland harbour bridges; not to mention helping his wife Rachel, raising their two young boys!
Rob’s book The Naked Rower is a gripping account of the experience of ocean rowing competition.
Rob believes that with vision and passion anything is possible and says "Find out what you enjoy, find out what you’re good at and don’t let anyone say you can’t do something."
Rob is currently the campaign manager for the Bridge to Bridge Trans-Tasman rowing challenge in which he plans to lead a four man rowing team across the Tasman, starting at Sydney’s Harbour Bridge and finishing at Auckland’s Harbour Bridge (a total distance of 2250 kms), next summer.
Rob’s presentation of the trials and tribulations of three Kiwi Challenges is inspirational and entertaining. His story is about following a dream, commitment, team building, goal setting, planning, overcoming hardship against the odds, positive thinking, risk-taking and, of course, winning! The story is told in a humorous fashion and Rob uses an amazing audiovisual show to help make the audience feel part of the epic.
