Wednesday, Jul. 2nd 2008 3:52 PM
Robyn Benincasa of Team Merrell is one of the founding figureheads in Adventure Racing. “Man, it’s not like the good old days,” she laments, “everyone’s going so hard and fast!” Anyone who watched Primal Quest Montana knows that Robyn struggled this year, between her replaced hip, a toe that’s troubled her since she got it frostbitten on a mountain in Tibet, and an infection on the top of her foot. She talked candidly this morning about her very personal journey to the finish line, but more importantly, what it took to get her to the starting line.
Robyn discusses her journey to the start line.
First thing Robyn did was offer everyone coffee. And she didn’t skimp on the French Vanilla Coffee-Mate (or “froo-froo” as they call it at the firehouse in San Diego where she works in real life). She hobbled around on her wounded feet, searching for mugs, being the consummate hostess and welcoming our three-person, ad-hoc delegation into the stunning log cabin in Moonlight Basin where Team Merrell is currently enjoying their second place finish. The rest of the team headed back down to the Gallatin River for some more whitewater adventure – apparently the course that scared Robyn half to death beckoned them back for another adrenaline-filled ride. To that, Robyn said the Gallatin whitewater “was the most stupid thing I’ve ever done in my life. No thanks, I’d rather drink coffee.” And so there we were.
Robyn has been doing a lot of soul searching recently. Wear and tear over her 14 year adventure racing career led her to have hip replacement surgery last summer. With her new chrome hip, she was not supposed to take any running steps for at least 11 months, a milestone she will reach in 6 weeks. So much for that! But she figures she’s not “everybody,” she’d be up for the accelerated rehab course, and it went as well as she could have hoped. Her chrome hip stayed together (she had some doubts when her doctor said that glue was involved in the mechanism holding it in place). There were times when she wondered who she was kidding, trying to keep racing with a fake hip. She wondered if it was a sign; the universe telling her that it’s time to go away. But she didn’t quit. And neither did her team.
Robyn shows off the toe she almost lost in Tibet back in 2000; the one that caused problems throughout Primal Quest Montana.
Self-deprecating and virtually ego-free, Robyn described her philosophy towards a team. Her goal is to be the one trying to keep up, figuring that if she is ever the strongest link, physically, she must not be on a very good team. She describes herself as genetically average and fully credits her team for lugging her around with absolutely no complaints. “I keep telling myself these guys must have really great parents. They were always looking out for me,” with no arguments, no heated moments. She credited experience as her greatest strength, but when asked her greatest weakness, she shook her head and said “I’m just not fast. Period.” With her hip in flux, her greatest fear was that she would drag her three teammates down with her. Even as recently as December, she was just barely getting out and about. When she gingerly started running again, she struggled to make 11 minute miles. She had no illusions; when asked what her team’s greatest weakness was, she candidly stated, “me.” Of course, the team wasn’t around to contradict her perception, they were streaking down the fast-flowing Gallatin River.
When asked to speak about her teammates, or her “boys” as she calls them, Robyn absolutely glowed. She said she wished Travis (aka Boy Wonder) was her little brother, but once she did the math she realized that she could actually be his mother. Smart and compassionate, she knows he is going to be the next big adventure racer; her main worry for him is that he is so multitalented, focusing too narrowly on adventure racing may make him miss out on the other 90% of what he is and can be.
Aaron Prince, the aptly named heir to renowned adventure racers of days past, serves as the navigator for the team. “Navigation is in his DNA” Robyn says. He just inherently knows where he is at all times, without even obsessing over the map. She envisions him as the Terminator – a cyborg sent from the future to guide Team Merrell through the mountains of Montana. She did her best Schwartzenegger impression as she demonstrated what is going on in Aaron’s head: “OVERLAY MAP TO GRID COORDINATES. COMPUTE.” The only navigational error he made (which they blamed on an odd marking on the map) cost the team a mere 17 minutes, but Aaron was mortified.
John Jacoby rounds out the crew and is in line with Robyn’s generation of legendary adventure racers. Nothing fazes him; he is never hot, or cold, or scared. He is the typical stoic Aussie. Of her continued troubles on the race course he simply said “She’ll be awl-royt.” She is amazed that even after all these years, he is continuously leading the charge and pushing hard for the team to go fast.
Robyn calls this group the best team she has ever put together. She hopes to race with them all again soon, and often, for as long as she is able. She expects that at some point she’ll know when to throw in the towel, but the fact that her career in adventure racing has been so long is a testament to what the sport is. “It’s not about VO2 max, it’s about who you are on the inside.”
Team Merrell on their deck at Moonlight Basin, overlooking Lone Peak Mountain.
She wants to be clear that it’s not just the racers who make the sport great. She singled out two of her sponsors, Steve Sisler of Zanfel (company of only 8 people who have become adventure racing’s biggest fans), and Sue Harvey Brown of Merrell, who both took the time to actually come out to the race. They have become personal friends of the sport and great supporters. Steve brings his family out for their summer vacation just to watch Primal Quest. Both Zanfel and Merrell have donated thousands of dollars of products to the racers and volunteers, backing up their commitment to the sport. These examples back up the unique nature of the adventure racing community, a welcoming and infectious crowd that quickly provides a home for anyone involved.
As the interview wrapped up, Robyn started asking questions, and the interviewee quickly became the interrogator. But that’s who Robyn is – a great name in adventure racing just having some friends over for coffee.
Mark your calendars and prepare yourself for an event like no other. Registration opens July 15th for the Blackwater Escape and Evasion Adventure Race, scheduled to take place November 7th- 8th in Moyock, North Carolina.
Ron Eaglin of 
Big Sky Resort
The entire staff of Primal Quest 2008 would like to extend their appreciation to 
