Greatest Distance by Stand Up Paddleboard (SUP) on flat water in 24 hours
Guinness World Records has recognized San Diego Firefighter Robyn Benincasa as "Officially amazing" for the 90.7 miles she paddled non-stop on a stand up board in 24 hours on Nov 8th in Huntington Beach Harbor, CA.
Describing the 24-hour endurance challenge the athlete said, "I paddled for all of the amazing women I know who are recovering from medical setbacks. My goal is to show them "what's possible" when you choose not to focus on what you've lost, but on being the very best of what you are today. In a strange way, I'm even grateful for my four hip replacements in the last 5 years because it led me to discovering SUP!"
Two previous records were set by Benincasa: Greatest Distance Paddled by canoe/kayak in 24 hours on flat water by a female - October 29, 2010 at Lake San Antonio, CA and Greatest Distance Paddled by canoe/kayak in 24 hours on moving water by a female - June 26, 2011 on Canada's Yukon River.
The two-time Adventure Racing World Champion was on the winning teams in "the toughest race on earth," the 2000 Eco-Challenge in Borneo, produced by Mark Burnett, and the 1998 Raid Gauloises in Ecuador and has completed more than 40 "expedition length" adventure races (7-10 days, nonstop). She is also a 10-time Ironman finisher with two podium finishes in her age group at the Ironman Hawaii World Championships.
In addition to her athletic accomplishments, Benincasa is a motivational speaker, San Diego firefighter and NY Times bestseller author. In 2000 she launched World Class Teams to bring her unique and inspiring perspective on teamwork to the corporate world. Overcoming her own medical challenges was the inspiration behind her creation of the Project Athena Foundation, a non-profit organization that helps women with serious medical setbacks recapture their active lives and turn a dream of a physical adventure into reality. The foundation has helped dozens of women with "Athenaships" (grants) to complete running, walking and adventure events.