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Grand Canyon rafting guide Kelsey Pfendler completed a record-breaking solo row across the Pacific Ocean on Friday, arriving in Hawaii after a more than 2,400-mile journey from California.
Pfendler arrived at Honolulu Harbor aboard her 21-foot boat, Lily, after rowing alone for just under 44 days. Hundreds of supporters gathered to cheer her arrival after nearly a month and a half at sea.
She launched from Monterey, California, in May with the goal of becoming the first American woman, the youngest woman and the fastest woman to row solo across the mid-Pacific, according to her website.
She appears to have achieved all three milestones.
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According to records maintained by Ocean Rowing Society International, which adjudicates ocean-rowing achievements for Guinness World Records, Pfendler’s time of just under 44 days broke both the previous women’s record of 86 days and the men’s record of 52 days for the same route.
Throughout the journey, Pfendler documented life alone at sea for hundreds of thousands of followers on social media, sharing the physical and mental challenges of crossing one of the world’s largest oceans.
Her videos showed blistered hands, sleepless nights battling wind and currents, and the daily routines that kept her alive, including making fresh water, cooking meals, washing clothes and protecting herself from the relentless sun.
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Some updates captured emotional moments as she reflected on the isolation of the voyage, while others highlighted lighter moments, including joking about her pronounced hat tan line and reliance on caffeine pills.
“I just love boats in the middle of nowhere,” Pfendler said in one video.
As she neared Oahu, Pfendler said she hoped the journey would inspire others to take on challenges they might think are beyond their reach.
“If any part of this made at least one person feel a little bit more powerful in their own skin, I couldn’t ask for anything else, and I’m happy,” she said.
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Pfendler has worked as a professional river guide since she was 18 and has spent the past eight years leading rafting trips through the Grand Canyon along the Colorado River, according to her website.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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