Team River Runner (TRR) was established in 2004 by a group of kayakers in the Washington D.C. area as a way to offer “paddling therapy” to the wounded warriors returning home from the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. The initial mission was “to provide health and healing to wounded warriors through whitewater kayaking.”

TRR: Lexington came into being in 2007, when area paddlers began working with patients at the VA, providing recreational therapy through paddling, both canoeing and kayaking. TRR: Lexington soon became one of the most active chapters in the country by offering indoor pool sessions where paddlers teach heroes basic paddling skills, weekly paddling trips close to home on creeks and rivers like the Elkhorn and the Kentucky, as well as offering trips to other nearby states. Our monthly out-of-state trips have gone to places like the Carolinas, Tennessee, Maryland and more. TRR: Lexington also offers one trip each year where 8-10 veterans travel to the Florida Keys for a weeklong paddling and leadership experience.

Through TRR: Lexington’s program, we are not only providing some much needed fun and relaxation, and a chance for heroes to lose themselves for a brief period, but we are also cultivating our next generation of leaders, both in paddling and in life.