Dr. Vonda Wright and the Buck Institute are connecting a 79-mile endurance challenge with a $79 million effort to expand research into women’s ageing and healthspan.
Dr. Vonda Wright and the Buck Institute for Research on Aging have joined forces to launch Move the Mountain, a philanthropic campaign and endurance challenge focused on women’s health research. The campaign aims to raise $79 million, matching one million dollars to each mile of Dr. Wright’s 79-mile mountain challenge. The funds are intended to establish The Vonda Wright Women’s Health Foundation at the Buck’s Center for Healthy Aging in Women, creating a permanent base for research into women’s biology and its relationship to healthspan.
The campaign places women’s ageing research within a fundraising model that links public participation with longer-term scientific infrastructure. The Buck says the initiative will address biological systems that shape women’s ageing and remain understudied, including the ovary and its connections to cardiovascular, neurological, metabolic, immune, hormonal and musculoskeletal health. The release presents those gaps as a central reason for focusing resources on research designed specifically around women’s biology rather than treating it as a secondary area of study.
The physical challenge will unfold in two stages. The release reported that Dr. Wright was scheduled to undertake the 29029 Trails Race in Park City, Utah, from September 16 to September 20, 2026, followed by the 29029 Everesting Race in 2027. Together, the races make up the 79-mile target, with each mile representing a fundraising unit. Giving opportunities begin at $79, while the campaign also lists larger options ranging from $1 million Mile Champion gifts to a $79 million Mountain Builder investment.
Initial priorities for the proposed foundation include developing a comprehensive scientific map of the ageing ovary, advancing research into the Musculoskeletal Syndrome of Menopause, supporting innovation in female sexual health and backing women-led pilot research. The release says projects will be selected for their potential to produce measurable scientific progress, clinical application and public impact. The Buck’s supporting campaign page similarly frames the effort around its Center for Healthy Aging in Women and research into ovarian and endocrine ageing.
For the Buck, the partnership extends its existing focus on increasing human healthspan into a campaign built around a particular set of research questions. For Dr. Wright, the endurance challenge provides the public-facing mechanism for directing attention and donations towards those questions. The campaign’s significance therefore rests less on the race alone than on the proposed connection between a time-bound physical undertaking and a permanent research foundation.
