Photo: Peter Moseley/Bryce Carlson Adventures, via Reuters
Congratulations to Bryce Carlson who shattered the record for rowing solo, unsupported, from west-to-east across the North Atlantic. He completed the roughly 2,000-mile row from St. John’s, Newfoundland to St. Mary’s Harbor, in the Isles of Scilly in just 38 days, 6 hours and 49 minutes. The previous record on the same route was set by Laval St Germain in 2016 with a time of 53 days 8 hours 26 minutes. Carlson also became the first American to complete that feat.
In the media reports of his record-breaking row, Bryce Carlson is described as a high school biology teacher from Cincinnati. He teaches at a private school where he also is also a track and field coach. The article about him in the New York Times mentions that he is an ultramarathon runner. The Times refers to him as Mr. Carlson, even though he earned a Ph.D. in Anthropology from Emory University. Was it an oversight on the reporter’s part or does Carlson prefer not to use the honorific of Doctor?
Beyond the challenges of being a high school teacher and coach, Bryce Carlson has an intriguing backstory. An excerpt from his bio when he gave a TED talk at Purdue University in 2016 fills in some of the blanks:
Dr. Bryce Carlson … is a researcher, educator, and coach with expertise in nutrition, adaptation, endurance, and human evolution.
Dr. Carlson’s research has taken him to the jungles of Uganda to study wild chimpanzees and gorillas, the arid landscapes of Kenya in search of human fossils, and the rural highways of the United States in exploration of the limits and nature of human endurance and adaptation.
Parallel to his academic pursuits, Dr. Carlson has become a driven runner and successful coach. Over the past 8 years, he has run over 150 marathons and ultramarathons in not only the United States, but also Europe at distances up to 250 km. In June 2015, he successfully completed one of the longest races in the world, running over 5,000 km from Los Angeles to Washington D.C. in support of children’s fitness and health. …
Ultra Marathoner, Science Teacher, Rowing Coach and a Former Purdue Professor Department of Anthropology, Dr. Carlson does not fail to amaze! …”
Teacher Breaks World Record Rowing Solo Across North Atlantic Ocean
In 2016, Bryce Carlson gave a TED talk at Purdue University.