Employee at Idaho lodge takes on ocean challenge. ‘It inspires a lot of fear’
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- Taryn Smith will attempt a solo 3,000-mile Atlantic row starting December 2025.
- Smith trained in England with experts and ocean rowers to prepare for the crossing.
- The $150,000 expedition also supports Girls on the Run and seeks sponsorships.
Taryn Smith is not afraid to take a risk, especially when there’s an adventure involved.
That’s how the Nebraska native ended up working at Redfish Lake Lodge, applying for a summer job on a whim after being wooed by the Sawtooth Mountains on a winter yurt trip during college.
Now five years into that “summer job” at Redfish, Smith is taking on her biggest escapade yet — a frightening, even panic-inducing one.
In early December, Smith will attempt to become the first American woman to complete a solo row across the Atlantic Ocean as part of the World’s Toughest Row.
“I had sort of run out of things that really scared me, and when I heard about this, I thought, ‘Oh, that’s very intimidating,’” Smith said. “It inspires a lot of fear, and that’s probably a good sign that I am going to learn and grow a lot.”
The 3,000-mile journey will begin in early December in a race village called San Sebastian in La Gomera, which is part of the Canary Islands. The trek is expected to take between 60 to 90 days, ending at Nelson’s Dockyard in Antigua in the Caribbean.
New to rowing but not to challenges
Before reading about the competition in Vogue magazine three years ago, Smith said she’d never tried rowing, but she did have some experience on the ocean, because both of her grandfathers enjoyed sailing.
“Who wouldn’t want to row across an ocean?” Smith said. “I was so enthralled by the sport. Then I had about a day where I just felt really sad because I thought everyone who rows across an ocean would have to be an Olympic athlete and experienced.
“But then I did a lot of research into the sport, and I learned that a lot of people row on oceans having never rowed before, and so I signed up.”
Stepping out of her comfort zone hasn’t been much of a problem for the 25-year-old graduate of Nebraska Wesleyan University. Her first solo trip was a skiing adventure in the French Alps. She followed that up by getting her yoga certification in Chamonix, France.
She then challenged herself to run the New York City Marathon in 2022, and later that year explored Patagonia on the southern end of South America.
In 2023, Smith set a goal of visiting all seven continents, making stops in Australia, Vietnam, Greece, Tunisia, Argentina and Antarctica.
“She definitely enjoys using her body and being out there and testing it, and she does have that competitive edge to her that is just there,” said Burke Smith, Taryn’s dad. “It doesn’t dominate everything, but when you get into the right situation, it definitely pops up. She gets a challenge and she’ll see it through.”
‘I do start to panic a little bit’ thinking of entire Atlantic Ocean
But a solo rowing trip across the ocean is much more than just a challenge. And Taryn Smith knows that.
She has been training with Gus Barton, an ocean-rowing performance coach, since 2023. In the spring of 2024, she traveled to England for navigation, sea survival and weather routing courses with SeaSports Southwest. She then spent six weeks living in Swanage, England, learning how to row a coastal scull on the ocean.
She’s now moved on to training with the actual boat she’ll use to try to cross the Atlantic — an R25 by Rannoch. The boat is 24 feet long and includes a fiberglass hull and self-righting capabilities in case of a capsize. Although Smith will be entirely on her own, she will have two satellite phones in case of an emergency.
“If I think about being in the middle of the ocean right now, I do start to panic a little bit,” Smith said. “It is scary, but there’s about six months until the race, so there’s still a lot of time to prepare. I think what makes me feel comfortable is that other people who don’t have any experience have done this as well.”
About 40 teams each year compete in the World’s Toughest Row. There have been approximately 39 solo Atlantic female crossings, but none by an American citizen as part of the World’s Toughest Row, according to oceanrowing.com.
The total cost for Smith’s adventure, including the boat, equipment, insurance and race entry, is upwards of $150,000. She’s seeking sponsors through her website, tarynsmithmovement.com. She’s also partnered with Girls on the Run, taking the time to speak and inspire young girls in the community to take on adventures of their own.
“You really can do anything you want,” Smith said. “It takes a lot of work and it can be scary, but it’s good to pursue big goals.”
This story was originally published June 19, 2025 at 4:00 AM.
