She was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society (FRGS) on the back of the rowing success, and was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 2011.

On 1 April 2011, Sarah set off on a self-powered trip around the globe, travelling from London to London, via the world. Outen cycled across Europe and Asia, rowing across the north Pacific and cycling across USA and Canada before rowing further across the North Atlantic to return to the UK.

Sarah’s crossing of the Pacific made her the first woman and youngest person ever to complete the journey solo, and along with experienced expedition seakayaker Justine Curgenven she also completed the only documented kayak along the Aleutian island chain and Alaskan Peninsula.

Sarah finally finished her London to London adventure – with some short recovery periods – back in the English capital on 3 November 2015.

The idea that anyone could do what Sarah has done may seem slightly less convincing now that you’ve read the above, but that’s where the story of Gao, a young Chinese chap Outen met during her round the world expedition, comes in particularly handy.

Sarah had stopped on her bike at a service station in China in 2011 when the happy-go-lucky Gao came over to ask her about her trip.

“I’m mostly very comfortable with solitude but there were times I thought it’d be much nicer if someone was there”

“I’m so proud of you,” he said, when Sarah filled him in on the details.

“I wish I could do something like that,” he continued. “But it looks so difficult.”

Sarah told Gao that the reward was well worth the work and before she knew it, he wanted to accompany her on the cycle to Beijing. They were still nearly 4000km away from the Chinese capital, yet to pass through the Gobi desert, and most amazingly of all, Gao didn’t even own a bicycle.

“It’s a mix of being headstrong and almost idealist – saying that’s what I’m going to do, and doing it,” she says. “It’s amazing what conviction that can give you, and that is your first step in turning a dream into a goal.

“Maybe there are voices in your head or people telling you that it’s not such a good idea, but you don’t have to listen to them.”

Adventure isn’t the only area where Sarah inspires. Having proposed to her wife Lucy while rowing across the North Pacific Ocean she has also become a role model and important voice in the LGBT community.

“I think it is a byproduct of my adventuring,” she tells us. “I had never dated a woman when I met Lucy.

Sarah had been at sea for 25 days when she was hit by Tropical Storm Mawar. The damage Gulliver received as a result of repeatedly capsizing meant it was not possible to continue her journey. Outen had to endure deeply unenviable conditions for several days before the coastguard came to her aid.

“It was not a good time. I was tied in my bunk on the cabin so I didn’t move for those three days really. It was horrific. I don’t really like talking about that too much as it’s still quite traumatic to me but suffice to say it was gruelling and frightening. Not a good time.”

Sarah’s decision to go back to row the Pacific Ocean the following year on her new boat ‘Happy Socks’ is an ample indication of her strength of mind.

“You accept it might happen,” she says. “But that doesn’t mean it’s going to happen again.”

Later, during her round the world expedition, it did happen again. A wave tore the rudder from Sarah’s row boat on 5 July 2015, and with one nightmarish experience in the heart of a storm already under her belt, she was forced to abandon her Atlantic Crossing on 6 October after 143 days at sea due to the threat from Hurricane Joaquin.

The following year Sarah would complete her trip and make a triumphant return to London via the Thames on 3 November 2015. The trip cemented her status as a pioneering adventurer and as one of the most accomplished explorers in the world right now.

Still, Sarah downplays the accolades, always tying her experiences back to the stories and the positive energy that they created along the way.

“These are fun things, and the stories, and people’s interest in the journey, that’s what’s really powerful for me”

“MBE, or records, it’s nice to be acknowledged but not what’s important. I don’t think I mention that when I do talks. It’s more that these are fun things, and the stories, and people’s interest in the journey, that’s what’s really powerful for me.

“That’s really important, because there’s a lot of good energy and positive things that come from sharing and inspiring. It’s almost not what you do, but the way that you do it.”

And if Sarah’s success so far is anything to go by, that’s what gets results.