A 40 year old family man from Poole, Dorset, Mark is no stranger to hard work and testing circumstances. At just 18 years of age he found himself serving with the Royal Marines during the Falklands War. 22 years later he is still living an equally adventurous lifestyle, working during the week and rock climbing, mountain biking, running and dragon boat racing in his spare time. He is also a keen canoeist, having completed the 125 mile Devizes to Westminster race no less than 5 times and securing second place on at least one occasion.

However, it is in his rowing achievements that he has truly excelled. He was captain of the Skandia Atlantic Spirit in 2002 and attempted to enter the record books by rowing from Canada to the UK. Unfortunately this attempt ended after 21 days when, in appalling weather conditions, the boat sustained irreparable damage to the rudder.

In 1997 Mark came sixth in the Atlantic rowing race from Tenerife to Barbados, completing the crossing in just 58 days. He holds the racing record from Jersey to Poole, completing the 91 mile journey in just 14 hours and 15 minutes. Mark also provided support for Branson's powerboat attempt at the Atlantic speed record in 1985. Furthermore, he holds the world record for the 1997 Ergo endurance event, a 21 day team competition.

With achievements such as these under his belt and with role models like Sir Steve Redgrave, Paula Radcliffe and Muhammed Ali, it is easy to see that Mark places great emphasis on overcoming adversity through mental and physical robustness. Mark explains the fitness training needed to complete their record attempt:

"During the nine months leading up to departure we have spent a great deal of time laying down a solid foundation of fitness that we can build upon. Initially the focus was on power, strength and speed, whilst low-intensity cardiovascular exercises helped us maintain a steady level of stamina. For the final three months, the emphasis has turned to endurance. Varying the intensity and duration of cardiovascular workouts has developed the strength and efficiency of our hearts and lungs, ensuring that our bodies maintain sufficient supplies of oxygen during periods of exertion."

Ongoing high-intensity anaerobic workouts have conditioned the rowers' bodies to tolerate lactic acid (a by-product of exercise that causes fatigue), whilst endurance weight training has improved their muscle efficiency. Over the space of the last year, training sessions have developed from one hour a day to three or four hours at a time. This might sound extreme, but such training is essential if the members of the Pink Lady® team are to maintain their Atlantic routine of rowing in pairs for two hours and then resting for two hours whilst the other pair takes over. Such a routine will continue non-stop, day and night for the team's 33 days at sea.

In spending over a month at sea, all four Pink Lady® Atlantic First team members will undoubtedly yearn for elements of their home life. For Mark it will be wishing that he could attend his daughter Birianna's birthday on 13th July. However, such are the sacrifices that have to be made when embarking upon ventures of this nature. For Mark, the priority is clear:

"When I was 18 years old I went to the Falklands War. The experience made me realise just how precious life really is and I fully intend to make the most of mine."

Mark is married to Paula, a school nurse and has two daughters - Birianna aged 12 and Victoria aged 10. The whole family is entirely supportive of Mark's rowing endeavours. "It is thanks to Paula that I've been able to do this, " says Mark.