Nebraska Woman Rows Solo Across Atlantic in 46 Days

A woman from one of America's most landlocked states just made history on the world's largest ocean.

Taryn Smith was 22 and living in Omaha when she read about an all-female rowing team breaking records across the Pacific. The story sparked something powerful inside her.

"I wanted to do something big in my 20s," Smith told PEOPLE. "I wanted to spend the rest of my life knowing that I was capable of something like this."

There was just one problem. Smith didn't know how to row. She had zero ocean experience. But she discovered the World's Toughest Row, a 3,000-mile race from Africa's Canary Islands to Antigua in the Caribbean, and decided she would do it alone.

Smith quit her human resources job and spent three years training. She lived on her rowboat for weeks at a time, learning to become one with the water that would soon be her only companion.

On December 14, the now 25-year-old faced 42 other teams from 20 countries at the starting line. She would row 10 to 12 hours each day, completely alone, for roughly two months.

Day 27 nearly broke her. Sun exposure gave her hives, she hadn't slept in two nights, and massive waves from an incoming storm kept knocking her out of her shoes. She spent the morning crying, exhausted and terrified.

"A wave would come just gushing over the deck," she said in an Instagram video that day. "It was scary. It was really, really scary."

A menacing marlin stalked her boat for miles. The challenges seemed endless. But by day's end, she had pushed through every obstacle and covered significant ground.

"It's been a really hard day, but I am really proud of the effort that I put in today," she said that evening while listening to Harry Potter audiobooks. "So all in all, life is good."

Throughout her journey, Smith partnered with Girls on the Run, raising money for programs that empower young girls through running and confidence building. With each stroke, she showed those girls what becomes possible with grit and determination.

Why This Inspires

Smith pulled into Antigua's harbor on January 29 with a flare in hand and an American flag billowing behind her. She had finished in 46 days, three hours, and 37 minutes, beating even her own optimistic predictions to become the first woman to complete the World's Toughest Row solo.

The girl from the landlocked plains had conquered 3,000 miles of open ocean. Her magazine article dream had become reality.

"Everything is more within reach than we think," Smith said. "I hope people understand that you should take on your biggest challenges, even if it means being alone. Even if it's scary."

You can do it, and you probably won't be alone for very long.