Project Athena R2R2R Grand Canyon
PA has so far helped 12 women regain their lives through adventure
Jacqueline Windh / 31.05.2010
From Robyn Benincasa’s - as she puts it - epiphany in the shower, this little idea has evolved into a foundation that is changing the lives of both men and women in ways they never could have imagined.Robyn - a legend in the sport of AR (do I need to say everything she has done? - participant since the earliest days of the sport; veteran of nearly 40 multi-day expedition races ranging from Eco-Challenge to Primal Quest; and two-time world champion) was diagnosed with osteoarthritis three years ago.
Faced with an imminent hip resurfacing operation, as she showered, she pondered what this would mean for her: for her racing, and for her ability to continue taking part in the adventure sports she loved. And she suddenly realized that, thanks to AR, she would get through this.
Over her years of adventure racing, she had developed the confidence to rise to the challenge, and to tackle things even if they seemed impossible. And she also had her community of AR racers who she had both laughed and suffered with over the years, and who she knew she could count on to support her through this journey.
But she wondered: what do women who don’t have the confidence that AR gives, who don’t have the supportive community of crazy and loving adventurous friends: What do they do? And so Project Athena was born.
This is not just a make-a-wish, give someone an adventure kind of thing. Project Athena supports women whose lives have been derailed by serious medical conditions, ranging from cancer to traumatic injuries to debilitating depression to rare and inexplicable conditions that modern medicine barely knows how to name, not to mention how to treat. See All Event Posts
