NESS KNIGHT - Explorer / Endurance Athlete

Ness is a record-breaking explorer and endurance adventurer who became the first female in history to swim the Thames River in 2013. Ness has traversed some of the most diverse terrain in all corners of the planet, overcoming huge obstacles and extreme conditions in remote environments. She has embarked on a diverse collection of expeditions, including stand up paddle-boarding over 1,000 miles down the Missouri River, the longest stand-up paddle-board journey by any female, and she cycled 2,000 miles across the USA solo. In 2013 she ran 15 marathons in 15 days, having just completed her Thames swim.

In 2016 Ness cycled across Bolivia with no money, an expedition that stripped away the comfort of having a safe, warm place to sleep at night with the gut-wrenching knowledge that having one meal a day is good fortune, not a given.

Ness has recently completed an expedition that saw her traverse one of the most desolate, hot and inhospitable environments in the world solo; the Namib Desert region in northern Namibia. In such an unforgiving and extreme wilderness Ness was tested to her absolute limits physically and mentally. The day it peaked at 49 degrees Celsius Ness lost consciousness 200 meters from a fresh lion kill due to heat exhaustion.

Next she will be setting out to break a new world record, this time taking on the vast Pacific Ocean aiming to become the first female in history to row solo, non-stop and unassisted across the Pacific, from North America to Australia. She will row for 6-7 months, facing the perils of being out on the ocean, alone, including huge storms, 40 foot waves causing capsize, potential collision with ocean tankers and the great likelihood of running out of food.

Ness’ passion lies in exploring her mental and physical limits in some of the world’s most unique locations and terrains. She seeks out unusual cultures and ways of life, getting to understand how communities survive and thrive in extreme environments.