Accessibility Statement Skip Navigation
  • Why PRWeb
  • How It Works
  • Who Uses It
  • Pricing
  • Login
  • GDPR
  • Create a Free Account
Return to PRWeb homepage
  • News
  • Resources
  • Contact
When typing in this field, a list of search results will appear and be automatically updated as you type.

Searching for your content...

No results found. Please change your search terms and try again.
  • News in Focus
      • Browse News Releases

      • All News Releases
      • Multimedia Gallery

      • All Multimedia
      • All Photos
      • All Videos
  • Business & Money
      • Auto & Transportation

      • Aerospace, Defense
      • Air Freight
      • Airlines & Aviation
      • Automotive
      • Maritime & Shipbuilding
      • Railroads and Intermodal Transportation
      • Supply Chain/Logistics
      • Transportation, Trucking & Railroad
      • Travel
      • Trucking and Road Transportation
      • View All Auto & Transportation

      • Business Technology

      • Blockchain
      • Broadcast Tech
      • Computer & Electronics
      • Computer Hardware
      • Computer Software
      • Data Analytics
      • Electronic Commerce
      • Electronic Components
      • Electronic Design Automation
      • Financial Technology
      • High Tech Security
      • Internet Technology
      • Nanotechnology
      • Networks
      • Peripherals
      • Semiconductors
      • View All Business Technology

      • Entertain­ment & Media

      • Advertising
      • Art
      • Books
      • Entertainment
      • Film and Motion Picture
      • Magazines
      • Music
      • Publishing & Information Services
      • Radio & Podcast
      • Television
      • View All Entertain­ment & Media

      • Financial Services & Investing

      • Accounting News & Issues
      • Acquisitions, Mergers and Takeovers
      • Banking & Financial Services
      • Bankruptcy
      • Bond & Stock Ratings
      • Conference Call Announcements
      • Contracts
      • Cryptocurrency
      • Dividends
      • Earnings
      • Earnings Forecasts & Projections
      • Financing Agreements
      • Insurance
      • Investments Opinions
      • Joint Ventures
      • Mutual Funds
      • Private Placement
      • Real Estate
      • Restructuring & Recapitalization
      • Sales Reports
      • Shareholder Activism
      • Shareholder Meetings
      • Stock Offering
      • Stock Split
      • Venture Capital
      • View All Financial Services & Investing

      • General Business

      • Awards
      • Commercial Real Estate
      • Corporate Expansion
      • Earnings
      • Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG)
      • Human Resource & Workforce Management
      • Licensing
      • New Products & Services
      • Obituaries
      • Outsourcing Businesses
      • Overseas Real Estate (non-US)
      • Personnel Announcements
      • Real Estate Transactions
      • Residential Real Estate
      • Small Business Services
      • Socially Responsible Investing
      • Surveys, Polls and Research
      • Trade Show News
      • View All General Business

  • Science & Tech
      • Consumer Technology

      • Artificial Intelligence
      • Blockchain
      • Cloud Computing/Internet of Things
      • Computer Electronics
      • Computer Hardware
      • Computer Software
      • Consumer Electronics
      • Cryptocurrency
      • Data Analytics
      • Electronic Commerce
      • Electronic Gaming
      • Financial Technology
      • Mobile Entertainment
      • Multimedia & Internet
      • Peripherals
      • Social Media
      • STEM (Science, Tech, Engineering, Math)
      • Supply Chain/Logistics
      • Wireless Communications
      • View All Consumer Technology

      • Energy & Natural Resources

      • Alternative Energies
      • Chemical
      • Electrical Utilities
      • Gas
      • General Manufacturing
      • Mining
      • Mining & Metals
      • Oil & Energy
      • Oil and Gas Discoveries
      • Utilities
      • Water Utilities
      • View All Energy & Natural Resources

      • Environ­ment

      • Conservation & Recycling
      • Environmental Issues
      • Environmental Policy
      • Environmental Products & Services
      • Green Technology
      • Natural Disasters
      • View All Environ­ment

      • Heavy Industry & Manufacturing

      • Aerospace & Defense
      • Agriculture
      • Chemical
      • Construction & Building
      • General Manufacturing
      • HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air-Conditioning)
      • Machinery
      • Machine Tools, Metalworking and Metallurgy
      • Mining
      • Mining & Metals
      • Paper, Forest Products & Containers
      • Precious Metals
      • Textiles
      • Tobacco
      • View All Heavy Industry & Manufacturing

      • Telecomm­unications

      • Carriers and Services
      • Mobile Entertainment
      • Networks
      • Peripherals
      • Telecommunications Equipment
      • Telecommunications Industry
      • VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol)
      • Wireless Communications
      • View All Telecomm­unications

  • Lifestyle & Health
      • Consumer Products & Retail

      • Animals & Pets
      • Beers, Wines and Spirits
      • Beverages
      • Bridal Services
      • Cannabis
      • Cosmetics and Personal Care
      • Fashion
      • Food & Beverages
      • Furniture and Furnishings
      • Home Improvement
      • Household, Consumer & Cosmetics
      • Household Products
      • Jewelry
      • Non-Alcoholic Beverages
      • Office Products
      • Organic Food
      • Product Recalls
      • Restaurants
      • Retail
      • Supermarkets
      • Toys
      • View All Consumer Products & Retail

      • Entertain­ment & Media

      • Advertising
      • Art
      • Books
      • Entertainment
      • Film and Motion Picture
      • Magazines
      • Music
      • Publishing & Information Services
      • Radio & Podcast
      • Television
      • View All Entertain­ment & Media

      • Health

      • Biometrics
      • Biotechnology
      • Clinical Trials & Medical Discoveries
      • Dentistry
      • FDA Approval
      • Fitness/Wellness
      • Health Care & Hospitals
      • Health Insurance
      • Infection Control
      • International Medical Approval
      • Medical Equipment
      • Medical Pharmaceuticals
      • Mental Health
      • Pharmaceuticals
      • Supplementary Medicine
      • View All Health

      • Sports

      • General Sports
      • Outdoors, Camping & Hiking
      • Sporting Events
      • Sports Equipment & Accessories
      • View All Sports

      • Travel

      • Amusement Parks and Tourist Attractions
      • Gambling & Casinos
      • Hotels and Resorts
      • Leisure & Tourism
      • Outdoors, Camping & Hiking
      • Passenger Aviation
      • Travel Industry
      • View All Travel

  • Policy & Public Interest
      • Policy & Public Interest

      • Advocacy Group Opinion
      • Animal Welfare
      • Congressional & Presidential Campaigns
      • Corporate Social Responsibility
      • Domestic Policy
      • Economic News, Trends, Analysis
      • Education
      • Environmental
      • European Government
      • FDA Approval
      • Federal and State Legislation
      • Federal Executive Branch & Agency
      • Foreign Policy & International Affairs
      • Homeland Security
      • Labor & Union
      • Legal Issues
      • Natural Disasters
      • Not For Profit
      • Patent Law
      • Public Safety
      • Trade Policy
      • U.S. State Policy
      • View All Policy & Public Interest

  • People & Culture
      • People & Culture

      • Aboriginal, First Nations & Native American
      • African American
      • Asian American
      • Children
      • Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
      • Hispanic
      • Lesbian, Gay & Bisexual
      • Men's Interest
      • People with Disabilities
      • Religion
      • Senior Citizens
      • Veterans
      • Women
      • View All People & Culture

  • Hamburger menu
  • Cision PRWeb provides efficient communication tools to continuously engage with target audiences across multiple online channels
  • Create a Free Account
    • ALL CONTACT INFO
    • Contact Us


      11AM ET Sunday – 8PM ET Friday

  • Send a Release
  • Sign up
  • Log in
  • Resources
  • RSS
  • GDPR
  • News in Focus
    • Browse All News
    • Multimedia Gallery
  • Business & Money
    • Auto & Transportation
    • Business Technology
    • Entertain­ment & Media
    • Financial Services & Investing
    • General Business
  • Science & Tech
    • Consumer Technology
    • Energy & Natural Resources
    • Environ­ment
    • Heavy Industry & Manufacturing
    • Telecomm­unications
  • Lifestyle & Health
    • Consumer Products & Retail
    • Entertain­ment & Media
    • Health
    • Sports
    • Travel
  • Policy & Public Interest
  • People & Culture
    • People & Culture
  • Send a Release
  • Sign up
  • Log in
  • Resources
  • RSS
  • GDPR
  • Send a Release
  • Sign up
  • Log in
  • Resources
  • RSS
  • GDPR
  • Send a Release
  • Sign up
  • Log in
  • Resources
  • RSS
  • GDPR

18-Year-Old Florida Woman with Autism Receives Exclusive Invite to Race in the 2023 VinFast IRONMAN World Championship Triathlon in Kona, HI


News provided by

Bened Life

Oct 06, 2023, 14:36 ET

Share this article

Share toX

Share this article

Share toX

Adrienne Bunn
Adrienne Bunn

Bened Life and KultureCity sponsor Adrienne Bunn's journey to become the youngest known female finisher with autism at the IRONMAN World Championship triathlon, on October 14, 2023

OCALA, Fla., Oct. 6, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Over six million people are estimated to be living with an invisible disability in the US. 18-year-old Adrienne Bunn from Ocala, FL, is one of them. As the youngest competitor in this year's women's field, the high school senior who has autism is heading out to Kona, HI, to make history as she attempts to become the first known woman with autism to complete the IRONMAN® World Championship triathlon. On Saturday, October 14, 2023, Bunn and her guide will set out on a 140.6-mile journey, the culmination of a grueling training cycle.

Neurodiversity in athletics often gets overlooked, as it's not visible. Bunn is changing the game – showing precisely what neurodiversity in sport looks like and inspiring others in the neurodivergent community to pursue a sport or activity they never thought possible.

I'm beyond grateful for the support KultureCity and Bened Life have provided me thus far and am looking forward to showing others with invisible disabilities that the nevers are possible," says Adrienne Bunn, IRONMAN Foundation Ambassador athlete

Post this

She draws inspiration from the late Kobe Bryant (she named her bike, a 2023 Ventum One sent by sponsor Ventum, after him), and this quote by Louis Zamperini from the movie Unbroken, "One minute of pain is worth a lifetime of glory."

The challenges and nuances that a typical athlete may face during training and racing are elevated for the neurodivergent community - finding the right fuel to work with food sensitivities, time management, not being able to process things as quickly, a panic attack because you can't see to the bottom of where the open water swim is, the list can go on. These encounters can be debilitating to a person with autism.

As a middle child, Bunn's parents helped her adapt to life with an invisible disability while ensuring all three daughters were able to pursue their unique talents. For Adrienne, that meant athletics. She'll race with her coach and guide Doug Guthrie in the Physically Challenged/Intellectual Disability (PC/ID) Open division that was launched in February.

Guthrie, an accomplished IRONMAN athlete himself with 25 IRONMAN finishes and qualifying for Kona six times, is an important pillar for Bunn. He motivates her and provides support in guiding her through challenging moments that can be attributed to her autism - at the start when there are too many people, when the water is too dark, and she can't see the bottom, and other unknowns during a race. Over the course of 16 weeks, the pair have trained together for up to 15 hours per week, establishing a bond and learning to trust each other's capabilities, which will be valuable come race day.

"After racing the IRONMAN 70.3 event in Ohio, and turning 18 just days prior, I knew this was my year for the VinFast IRONMAN World Championship race in Kona. My family and I called KultureCity co-founder Michele Kong who spearheaded submitting my IRONMAN 70.3 Ohio results and petitioned for an entry into the championship. I'm beyond grateful for the support KultureCity and Bened Life have provided me thus far and am looking forward to showing others with invisible disabilities that the nevers are possible," says Adrienne Bunn, a Special Olympic, and IRONMAN Foundation Ambassador athlete, and triathlete with autism competing to be youngest known female finisher with autism at the 2023 VinFast IRONMAN World Championship triathlon in Kona, HI.

"Adrienne is a remarkable young woman who is going to continue to do extraordinary things. When the Bunn family reached out to pursue her competing in the 2023 VinFast IRONMAN World Championship race, we immediately called for all hands-on deck to get Adrienne to Kona. We are so proud of not only the physical preparation she is doing, but also her very important 'A' goal of inspiring others with invisible disabilities to Make the Nevers Possible," said Michele Kong, co-founder of KultureCity.

"It has been an honor to get to know and sponsor Adrienne for this very special initiative. Since day one, we've been dedicated to creating an inclusive and welcoming space for the neurodivergent community to thrive and pursue activities they may have been told they couldn't. As a company that is on the leading edge of microbiome and health science innovation, producing specialized, patented probiotics that influence brain health, especially for those with autism, we know how important it was to Adrienne to have our support," says Sunny Cash, Community Director at Bened Life.

For more information on Adrienne Bunn, please visit https://www.kulturecity.org/f/adriennes-journey-to-hawaii/?wpf934_6=adriennes-journey-to-hawaii.

For more information on KultureCity, please visit www.KultureCity.org.

For more information on Bened Life, please visit www.BenedLife.com.

For more information on IRONMAN, please visit www.ironman.com/im-world-championship-2023.

Media Contact

Lynette Pettinicchi, Bened Life, 1 917-993-0492, [email protected], www.BenedLife.com 

SOURCE Bened Life

Modal title

Contact PRWeb

  • 11AM ET Sunday – 8PM ET Friday
  • Contact Us

About PRWeb

  • About PRWeb
  • Partners
  • Partnership Programs
  • Editorial Guidelines
  • Resources

Why PRWeb

  • Why PRWeb
  • How It Works
  • Who Uses It
  • Pricing

Accounts

  • Create a Free Account
  • Log in
  • Contact Us

Do not sell or share my personal information:

  • Submit via [email protected] 
  • Call Privacy toll-free: 877-297-8921

Contact Cision

Products

About

My Services
  • All News Releases
  • Online Member Center
  • ProfNet
Cision Distribution Helpline
888-776-0942
  • Legal
  • Site Map
  • RSS
  • Cookie Settings
Copyright © 2025 Cision US Inc.