PHOTOS: At 25 years old, Destin firefighter and EMT Holly Heidenreich loves the extreme life. Most recently paddling 80 miles from Bimini, Bahamas to mainland Florida with her bare hands.
With her teammate, Megan Scully from Lake Worth, Fla., the women made up the only prone board paddling team for the 2022 Crossing For Cystic Fibrosis challenge. The pair completed the 80 miles in 15 hours, 38 minutes and 41 seconds. Prone paddling is different than paddleboard or kayaking. Heidenreich said the paddler is on their stomach or knees using only their arms to propel them forward. “I went on my knees and it’s definitely faster, but it will wear yourself out a bit more,” said Heidenreich. “I laid on my stomach for most of it just hoping for the best and kept going”