American Adventure Sports and ECARS joins up with Project Athena

American Adventure Sports and the East Coast Adventure Racing Series are proud to announce partnering with Project Athena to help raise awareness for their wonderful cause.

Project Athena was started by Robyn Benincasa, who after 15 years of passionate participation in over 36 extreme adventure races, her days as an elite athlete would suddenly end. After struggling to finish a race on the last day of competition because of a shooting pain in her hip, she knew something was very wrong. The doctor’s diagnosis came back as Stage Four osteoarthritis. For Robyn, at only age 40 and in the prime of her career, this was a devastating blow to her athletic spirit. She thought she would never even be able to run again let alone participate in the adventure races that she loved so dearly. It took her quite some time to adjust to the fact that even though she’d never be able to be able to perform at the level she used to, she was still in quite good health and her arthritis wasn’t life threatening and didn’t have to hold her back. She was a Survivor and would find a way to persevere. She might have to struggle to complete races, but she would finish nonetheless. Three hip replacements later, she is doing exactly that.

Robyn knew she had the strength of mind and spirit to be able to do this, but she wondered how other Survivors would fare by themselves. She gathered up two of her friends who had also suffered major medical setbacks and signed them up to participate in the events liked they did before. They struggled together through the pain, inflammation and limping, but they had the time of their lives. Inspired by the women’s success and joy, Robyn went on to build Project Athena sharing her message of strength and wisdom to inspire other Survivors. Her motto has become “Doctors heal your mind, let us heal your spirit.”

The Project Athena Foundation currently raises money to provide Adventures for Survivors who have all overcome adverse medical setbacks. They aid Survivors by assisting with entry fees, airfare, coaching, specialized equipment, and much more to help them reach their adventurous goals. The Athena Project raises money by producing and holding events such as the Danelle Ballenges Moab Trail Marathon and Richmond Brown’s Island Xterra Trail course, The Robyn Benincasa’s Richmond Relay Marathon. All of the race entry fees are tax deductible, and, most importantly of course, all Survivors race for free. 100% of the money from the entry fee will go directly to letting the Survivors live out their dreams of adventure. You can also become a God or Goddess of the foundation by registering in your own events and personally fundraising. Opportunities to get involved are endless, and it easy to find a way to help their mission.

If you would like information about the Project Athena Foundation or ways to get involved, please visit the foundation’s website at www.projectathena.org.