Jere Hartman | "RangeOars Row" | Ep. 1029

Jere Hartman spent 19 years in the Army, including time as an Army Ranger, then went straight into the FBI's Terrorist Screening Center. Two years later he'd put on 50 pounds and was spending his nights sitting in the dark. So he walked into his performance review and resigned.
What came next was a six-month thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail (trail name: Clincher, and he'll tell you why). Ten years later, he answered a Facebook post in the Ranger community and signed on to row across the Pacific Ocean.
In this episode, Jere and I talk about:
Why leaving a structured military life with no transition nearly broke him
Trail magic, trail families, and what the AT gave him that he didn't expect
Rowing from Monterey to Kauai in 35 days with a five-man crew in the World's Toughest Row
Keeping the boat's water maker alive after it broke on day three
Riding out 30-foot seas at night in a rowboat, and the crew pact that "it's 100% or we don't make that decision"
Weeks of glowing phosphorescence, hundreds of dolphins, and a pint of rum split five ways
Corsair Racing, the nonprofit he helped build to get veterans out on the ocean, and the crew now training for a 3,000-mile Atlantic row from La Gomera to Antigua
Coaching CrossFit in Chattanooga, and why he believes it's for everyone, no matter how beat up you are
Support Corsair Racing: https://corsairracing.org
This episode is brought to you by Star brite, makers of Salt Off and a full line of boat-care products, and a company that invests heavily in conservation. Check them out at https://www.starbrite.com
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