Ann Bancroft

“Running is my bedrock activity.”

“I do not think about being beautiful. What I devote most of my time to is being healthy.”

“My brother Bill, who is a year older, is a climber, and when I was in the seventh grade, he taught me how to rappel off the frozen waterfall in our backyard.”

“A life lesson for me is, how do you muster the courage to take on a new risk? Whether it's starting up a business or taking on a new project or expedition. I think the risks that we take are...”

“My first expedition was at about the age of eight.”

“Getting through high school and college was one of my greatest achievements.”

“I get stubborn and dig in when people tell me I can't do something and I think I can. It goes back to my childhood when I had problems in school because I have a learning disability.”

“I have an opportunity now with some of the projects I've done, i.e. the North Pole and the South Pole, to speak to a larger audience and talk about things that have nothing to do with physic...”

“I give a tremendous amount of weight to the mental aspect of physical activity and what it does for me.”

“I had no doubts I could go to the pole. I may not be as strong, but I make up for physical strength in other areas, like steadiness and not panicking under stress.”

“Skydiving is something I've never done! And I am very excited to take the leap with a community of like-minded courageous women.”