WALES rowing cap Tracy Corbett has played a starring role in BBC Radio 1 DJ Jordan North’s epic 100-mile scull for Comic Relief.
The former Commonwealth Championships medallist and Henley Women’s winner coached the beginner daily over six weeks at charitable community club Fulham Reach on the Thames so he could take on the challenge.
And the Llandaff RC product joined him in the support launch as he successfully negotiated five days of sculling on various canals earlier this month, from Little Venice in central London to his home town of Burnley.
The 30-minute documentary ‘Rowing Home with Jordan North’ featuring Tracy aired on BBC3 on Tuesday, and is now available on BBC iPlayer.
Sports coach Tracy helped out with Sports Relief in 2020 when she was asked to coach and mentor Radio 2 DJ Jo Whiley, TV and radio vicar Rev Kate Bottley and Zoe Ball Show co-presenter Richie Anderson to help them prepare for their 2020 Dare2Tri three-day triathlon Challenge.
And the phone rang again when Jordan was looking for someone to help him tackle the sculling challenge for Comic Relief.
Tracy said at the start of his row: "I have worked with people for years who would not be able to master this challenge.
“Jordan is not a seasoned rower, but he has been training so incredibly hard.
“This challenge is a testament to his efforts. Today and tomorrow will be Jordan's best days, and most enjoyable.
“The days in-between will really test him, physically, emotionally and mentally, but he will get through it."
The DJ has already raised £700,000 from his epic row for Red Nose Day, and said before starting: “This is going to be the toughest thing I have ever done in my life, and I really need all the support I can get. I have hardly slept, and I just hope that I don't fall in."
And after crossing the line five days later, he added: “I cannot even put the feeling into words… I feel so proud.
“On the way in, there were people on every bridge, people waving on banks… it’s absolutely unreal.
“Don’t make me cry, I’m absolutely exhausted!”
The documentary shows him dodging territorial swans, canal barges and negotiating narrow bridges while battling rain, back ache, blisters and exhaustion, with his coach continually encouraging him from the support launch.
Tracy, whose late and much-missed brother Neale was also a Wales rower, competed for her country in Home Countries and Commonwealth championship regattas as both a junior and senior lightweight.
In 2006, Tracy won a Commonwealth bronze medal in the lightweight pair in Scotland and continued her sporting success by winning Henley Women's Regatta in the lightweight coxless four in 2007 and 2008.
She was also a successful cyclist, joining the Rapha Condor women’s race team, and then Les Filles RT, competing nationally and at UCI events.
After a bike accident in 2012, she decided to leave her successful hedge fund career to follow her coaching passion and went back to studying.
And in 2014, she gained all the coaching qualifications needed to set up her highly successful online business Welshewe Coaching.
Red Nose Day returns this Friday, March 18, and to donate to Jordan’s row you can go to comicrelief.com/rowinghome
Money raised by Red Nose Day will support life-changing work in the UK and around the world, including tackling homelessness, domestic abuse, poverty and mental health problems.
Pictures - BBC Comic Relief.
