In conversation with the GB Rowing Team: Martha Birtles
The European Championships debutant speaks to BBC Radio Lancashire’s Dan Jewell about Poetry in a Boat
Credit: Benedict Tufnell
In the next of our interview series ahead of the European Championships, BBC Radio Lancs caught up with Martha Birtles as she prepares to make her GBRT debut
Martha Birtles didn’t grow up dreaming of rowing for the GB Rowing Team. She wasn’t sporty as a child and had her sights set on art school, not a seat in a racing shell. But a nudge from her mother, who had once tried rowing as a teenager – added to the welcoming rowing culture at Oxford University – changed the course of her life.
“I’m not very sporty, I’m very bookish,” she says. “But at Oxford, it was easy to try rowing at a very entry level. My mum encouraged me, and I thought — why not?”
What began as a casual experiment soon became something more. Year by year, Martha improved, and now, she finds herself preparing to race in the Women’s eight (W8+) at the European Championships in Plovdiv — alongside Olympic medallists she once watched from afar.
At first, the step-up felt surreal. “I tried to play it cool, but I’d go home thinking, ‘I just rowed with someone who has an Olympic medal!’” Now, she says, “I’m learning from them every day. They’re humble, focused, and committed to helping the rest of us get better.”
Martha brings something different to the crew too. As an English student, she naturally sees the world – and rowing – a little differently. “My coach once said I had a very humanities mindset. Most rowers focus on the science of going faster, but I lean on the emotional side. I want to be part of something bigger than myself.”
“Different nationalities, different backgrounds… It felt like we were breaking the mould a bit.”
She describes rowing as the current chapter of her life. She talks about the importance of storytelling, identity and belonging in sport. Her reflections on the COVID-era Boat Race, held behind closed doors, are telling: “It was just nine of us in a boat, redefining a very old tradition. Different nationalities, different backgrounds… It felt like we were breaking the mould a bit.”
That theme of diversity comes up often. Growing up in Lancashire, Martha is proud to represent a region that the wider public doesn’t always associate with the sport. “The sport is changing,” she says. “At Caversham, you’re surrounded by people from all walks of life, and that’s what makes a team strong.”
As for Plovdiv, she’s focused on learning. “A medal would be incredible — but mostly I just feel lucky to be racing. This is the first stepping stone.”
Or, if her story so far is anything to go by, perhaps just the opening chapter of what could be a beautifully-written book.
