HEAD TO HEAD
ROBYN BENINCASA OF TEAM MERRELL IS A PERFECT ILLUSTRATION OF THE INCREDIBLE CAPABILITIES OF THE HUMAN BODY AND MIND. IN A 15 YEAR ADVENTURE RACING CAREER ROBYN HAS SHOWN THAT THE HARDER THE RACE THE MORE SHE THRIVES.
BODY & SOLE
Having competed in close to 40 expedition length multisport events, Robyn has put her body through some torturous
situations and pushed through pain and mental barriers to achieve multiple World Championship titles. Her career has seen her take on some of the world’s toughest multisport events over some of the world’s greatest natural obstacles and she’s made a habit of always coming out on top!
In 2007, Robyn was diagnosed with osteoarthritis and told she may never run again, but she wasn’t going to let this destroy her adventurous spirit. She underwent hip resurfacing surgery, and 16 weeks later, ran the Sedona Marathon with her friend Melissa Cleary by her side. From this she drew even greater inspiration and it was something she had to share, “that made me think of how great it would be to bring that kind of confidence and support to other women,” she says.
Months later, Robyn launched Project Athena, a non-profit organisation that helps women who have suffered a medical setback live out their athletic dreams. Benincasa recruited a team of accomplished female athletes to serve as coaches and mentors to the women who apply for and receive the foundation’s “athenaships”.
Sara jones, a breast-cancer survivor, was one of the first recipients. In February, she raced a six-day ultramarathon in Costa Rica with the Project Athena team. Sara’s experience was clearly an
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