Kelsey Pfendler, a 32-year-old Grand Canyon river-rafting guide, has become the first US woman to row solo from California to Hawaii, completing the journey in record time. She set out from Monterey, California, on May 21 and arrived in Honolulu on the night of July 3, rowing over 2,400 miles across the mid-Pacific in just under 44 days.

According to an archive maintained by the Ocean Rowing Society International, which adjudicates ocean-rowing achievements for Guinness World Records, Pfendler's time is unprecedented for a woman of her age and nationality. Her record also surpasses the previous female record of 86 days and the male record of 52 days.

Pfendler described reaching the journey's end as "very surreal" and said it was difficult to fully absorb her accomplishment. She credited favorable currents near Honolulu for her faster-than-expected arrival and expressed awe at the natural forces she encountered during the crossing.

Speaking to ABC's Good Morning America three days after finishing, Pfendler said she hopes her achievement inspires other women to take risks and push their limits. "It's really motivating to think [that], maybe one day, I will get to see another woman work even harder to do what I did," she said. "And it would be so special to watch."

Her website notes she has been a professional raft guide since age 18.

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