First woman to row across the Atlantic solo discusses trip, relationship with Muhammad Ali 20 years later

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) - Tori Murden McClure, a woman who made history on the Atlantic Ocean, is talking about her astonishing feat 20 years after the fact.

Though she is now the president of Spalding University, McClure’s claim to fame arose after she became the first woman and first American to row a boat unassisted across the Atlantic.

She spoke today next to her 23-foot rowboat The American Pearl about her 81 days spent at sea and the more than 3,000 miles she rowed alone.

McClure also discussed working for the Muhammad Ali Center at the time of her famous trip. She credits Ali for encouraging her to give the solo row another shot after her first attempt ended unsuccessfully.

“It was like every couple of weeks he would come by and pop me in the shoulder,” McClure said. “And it was like he was saying, ‘Kid you've got to get up,’ and then he said, ‘You don’t want to go through life as the woman who almost rowed across the ocean.’”

McClure’s adventures didn’t end on the ocean. She was also the first American and first woman to ski to the South Pole. McClure accomplished that feat in 1989 with an expedition group.