When Atalanta was born, her father was bitterly disappointed that she was not a boy and left her in the woods to die. She was found by a she-bear and raised into an active, daring little girl.  Several hunters later taught Atalanta their skills and made her "more than their equal."

One of Atalanta's shining moments came when she helped to slay the Calydonian boar. The bravest men of Greece were called upon by the king of Calydon to help kill the beast. Owing to her renowned hunting skill, Atalanta was also invited to participate. Her inclusion in this group of Greece's "best and bravest" was justified when her arrows were the first to pierce the boar, leading to his death. Thus, to Atalanta went the honors of the hunt. Atalanta's adventures and exploits continued. It is said that she sailed with the Argonauts and excelled in the games of wrestling and sport.

It was after these achievements that Atalanta found herself beset by many suitors. As a way of disposing of them, she would only marry the contender who could beat her in a foot race. Fleet-footed young men challenged her and she always outran them. But at last Hippomenes, favored by Aphrodite, was given three golden apples "as beautiful as those from the Hesperides." No one, including Atalanta, could resist them.

In the early stages of the race, Atalanta pulled ahead. Then, Hippomenes rolled one of the golden apples in front of her. She stooped to pick it up, and he came abreast of her. Later, he threw the second apple. This time she had to swerve to gather it up, and he got ahead, again. As the finish line neared, Atalanta caught up with him. Hippomenes then threw the third apple into the grass, and Atalanta could not resist her image in its golden reflection. As she stooped to pick it up, Hippomenes touched the goal, ahead of Atalanta.

The symbolism of this myth for us, as money managers, is that you run fast but always stop to pick up the golden apples.