Have you ever considered rowing across the Atlantic? How about making it even more challenging by doing it whilst wearing an ECG monitor and filling in psychological questionnaires? Claudia Hammond speaks to the first Austrian woman to row the Atlantic, Ciara Burns, who collected data throughout her 42-day crossing. And to the professor who studied the data, Eugenijus Kaniusas from the Vienna University of Technology, about the three big dips in mood along the way. Ciara talks about the emotional highs and lows of rowing to America, about the night skies, meeting whales, and how it feels when the Atlantic comes crashing down on you. Sports psychologist Peter Olusoga from Sheffield Hallam University, discusses the mental challenges and dealing with emotions during an adventure like Ciara's.
Claudia also speaks to Dr Nick Tiller, ultramarathon runner and exercise scientist at Harbor-UCLA, about the physical benefits and costs of taking part in ultra-endurance sports. Nick has run 100-mile races as well as running across the Sahara Desert. They discuss how peak performance in endurance events can peak at an older age than more fast-paced, high intensity sports, and whether anyone is physically able to take up an endurance sport if they set their mind to it. Also giving their thoughts on the physical impact of endurance sports are Yvette Hlaváčová who holds the women's world record for swimming the English Channel and Louise Deldicque who is professor in exercise physiology at UCLouvain in Belgium.
Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producers: Jonathan Blackwell and Lorna Stewart Editor: Holly Squire
Cape Verde eliminates malaria
Are outcomes better with female surgeons?
2024 in global health
A year in health in review
When will we have an HIV vaccine?
Closer to a cure for morning sickness
How do we know when a mystery illness is serious?
New Zealand backtracks on smoking ban
Gene editing treatment approved for sickle cell
Vaccinating children against chickenpox
A drug to prevent breast cancer
Warnings over antibiotic resistance in children
A musician’s story of coping with schizophrenia
Cholera cases surge in Zimbabwe
US proposes world first policy to reduce STIs
Malaria vaccine backed by WHO
The deadly practice of gum lancing
Could global Aids program be cut?
Do men have a friendship problem?
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Good Mood Revolution
Global News Podcast
The Infinite Monkey Cage
Friday Night Comedy from BBC Radio 4
You’re Dead to Me
Elis James and John Robins