AKALI is now the Official Title Sponsor and Merrell and Wigwam are the official Presenting Sponsors of the new and completely unique “AKALI Project Athena Racing Series”, which will bring our partners a great deal of Goodwill due to the fact that all event proceeds will go to the Project Athena Foundation. These events (13 total in 2010-2012) will be a “Family Day”, comprised of a 15k “God and Goddess Road Race” followed by a 5k “Athena Adventure Challenge” (in which teams of 2-6 women have a scavenger-hunt style off-road teambuilding journey together) and finishing with the Merrell Mini Athena and Mini Zeus Adventure Challenge for the kids. The focus of the event will be on raising funds for the Foundation, so it’s fitting that Survivors will race for free and will be honored at the end of each event. The first stop on the AKALI Project Athena Series Tour will be in San Diego on May 8, 2010, followed by races in Nashville August 28, and Raleigh, NC in October. Victoria Seahorn, the Founder of the ING Georgia Marathon will be joining our marketing team as the event producer for the AKALI Project Athena Series. She’s an incredibly accomplished race director and will be a huge asset to our team. Click Here to Enter

Colorado Springs’ Mike Hagen had a big day of exercise last Sunday. At 30,000 vertical feet, his summative ascent over the course of 12 hours totaled more than the vertical distance from sea level to the summit of Mount Everest. He also descended 30,000 feet in the same half-day span. What’s the key to bagging this kind of vertical? Climbing a very steep hill, descending full speed, and doing it again…all on skis.

Sunlight Mountain Resort’s Endurance Challenge is a 12-hour event that calls on competitors to put in as many uphill/downhill laps as they can between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. Each ascent is 1,500 vertical feet–so is the downhill. Racers can compete solo or with a relay team, and they can choose from a number of locomotion possibilities. I saw people skiing (uphill with climbing skins, downhill alpine style), snowshoeing, snowboarding, hiking, and running. I didn’t actually see anyone crawling, but I wouldn’t be suprised if it happened. The event was top-notch, and a good purse for the winner pulled in a strong field.

I struggled a bit early on, but had a strong race overall. Climbing 28,500 feet over 19 laps was good enough for third place. I was happy to pass two competitors in the last hour and finish my final lap just eight seconds before the cutoff (after a hairy, fast, in-the-dark descent)! I didn’t knock out Everest, but I topped K2 by 250 feet. This effort ranks among the hardest cardiovascular events I have ever undertaken, and I couldn’t have done it without help.

My dad, Mark, was an incredible one-man support crew. He had skis, gear, vittles, and victuals waiting for me every single lap, and he drove home from Glenwood in a snowstorm while I slept like a rock. Thanks, Dad! Thanks also to my friend, James Kovacs, for the great training; he was a strong competitor out there as well. Team Merrell/Akali was also elemental in providing support.

My good buddy, Bernie Boettcher, happened to be bounding up and down the slopes shooting photos. Thanks for these images, Bernie! (A couple of years ago, Bernie completed a three- or four-year streak of competing at least one running race every single weekend–wow).

Up Next, James and I will compete in the Elk Mountains Grand Traverse, a backcountry ski race from Crested Butte to Aspen on March 26th.

Project Athena is a non-profit foundation that encourages women who’ve endured life altering medical setbacks like breast cancer to unleash the “adventurer” within and complete the journey of a lifetime–whether that be to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, cross the finish line of an Ironman Triathlon, or fall into the arms of a proud family at the end of a local 5K. Project Athena provides coaching, equipment, travel expenses, entry fees, and, most importantly the encouragement and inspiration to help our amazing “Athenas” make that life affirming transition from Survivor to Athlete.

Project Athena’s ‘Founders Team’, Robyn Benincasa, Louise Cooper, Melissa Cleary and Florence Debout, are no strangers to medical setbacks themselves, as their passion for helping other women live their dreams comes from hard fought battles with Breast Cancer, Ovarian Cancer, life-threatening traumatic injuries, Rheumatoid Arthritis, and more than a few metal body parts. But instead of sitting back and taking these medical setbacks like the ladies they are, they’re driven to shepherd other women through that tunnel of hopelessness by bringing a renewed sense of adventure and self confidence to their recovering souls. Doctors and scientists can cure the body–Project Athena cures the Spirit.