Team River Runner

Team River Runner was originally founded in 2004 at the Walter Reed Medical Center. In the last ten years, we’ve grown exponentially, offering weekly paddling sessions in 50 locations nationally, as well as biathlons in Washington, D.C. and Colorado., an annual Kayak Football Tournament at Walter Reed, and a host of other activities. As we’ve evolved, we’ve placed an increasing emphasis on the development of leadership skills for our participants. We hold leadership clinics in locations all over the United States, including Colorado, Montana, the Grand Canyon, and St. John. These programs teach Veterans the necessary fundamentals and skills to take home become leaders in their respective TRR chapters

We believe that the daily routine of physical therapy and treatment needs to be supplemented with activities that spark competitiveness, invoke leadership, and promote camaraderie. At Team River Runner, we provide an outlet to fulfill these beliefs – inviting wounded and disabled Veterans and their families to participate in adaptive and therapeutic kayaking programs.

Team River Runner is more than an adaptive sports program. It’s an idea that healing doesn’t have to be done alone. It’s a place that provides hope and strength to the brave Veterans who have risked so much, yet asked for so little. It’s an opportunity to enjoy nature and realize its social, physical, and emotional benefits, whether it’s careening through whitewater rapids or floating on peaceful flat-water. It’s an environment that facilitates connection, allowing veterans to reunite with their families and forge new relationships with those who have endured similar pain. More than anything, Team River Runner is a program that provides purpose for those who need it most – the wounded and disabled Veterans of the United States of America.