When Olympic Peninsula Rowing Association rower Ella Ventura of Port Angeles puts her mind to something, nothing stops her.
Ventura, 14, recently completed a pair of impressive indoor rowing feats. She accepted a challenge from OPRA to row the Iditarod race in Alaska , using minutes on an ERG rowing machine to equal miles in the race. The challenge began on Dec. 21 and was originally designed to last into March.
Instead, Ventura began rowing at 6:30 a.m. on Dec. 23 and finished the entire challenge in 16 hours, 38 minutes, eating one-handed while rowing and winning the challenge.
On Jan. 13, she accepted a challenge from Kitsap Crossfit to row as hard as she could for 10 minutes, rest for 50 minutes and repeat for 24 straight hours. This challenge was issued as part of The Reveille Project, an organization that helps disabled veterans transition from active duty to civilian life.
Ventura, competing from home, placed first in the remote female category and 14th overall after she rowed 51,433 meters.
