Rebecca Rusch

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Rebecca Rusch wasn’t thinking about world championships when she joined the Downers Grove North High School cross-country team. “I just wanted the free track suit,” recalls Rusch, who, 28 years later, finds herself among the ranks of the world’s elite endurance athletes. In July of 2009, Rusch won her third straight mountain biking 24-hour Solo World Championship.

Since donning those gray cotton sweats and Lycra shorts, Rusch has outfitted herself in the kit of numerous other disciplines: racking up ascents of big walls from Yosemite to Zion, paddling on the world-famous Offshore Canoe Club’s women’s outrigger team in the brutal Molokai crossing and winning adventure races around the world.

When not training in one of the five mountain ranges surrounding her hometown of Ketchum, Idaho, the 41-year-old known as the “Queen of Pain” can be found chasing adrenaline from Tibet to New Zealand to Kyrgyzstan, constantly adding titles to her impressive and extensive resume.

In addition to those three 24-hour solo mountain bike World Champion rainbow jerseys, Rusch is a three-time national champion in 24-hour team mountain biking. She’s Idaho’s Short Track state championship (twice), and its Cyclocross state title. An accomplished Nordic skier, she’s won the Masters Cross Country Skiing World Championship, in addition to taking the top prize at Raid Gauloises Adventure Racing World Championships. And although that’s just cross-section of her palmares, it’s easy to see why Rusch has been profiled by Sports Illustrated, Outside Magazine and Adventure Sport Magazine.

Talking about age draws a laugh as she gestures at her surroundings. "People around here are all 10 years younger than they actually are. And I don’t mean they just look it; they are actually 10 years younger," she said. "Everyone’s out there constantly doing stuff, from biking to skiing to hiking. There’s a collective mentality that if you don’t use it, you’ll lose it."

This mentality, along with what she calls "perfect terrain for training," provides a home base for the typically itinerant Rusch. She is part of the community; for more than two years she has been a stalwart volunteer emergency medical technician and firefighter for the Ketchum Fire Department, and a homeowner. On breaks from her race schedule, she works on her condominium, though the domestic idea continues to bemuse her; the last home she owned was a 1975 Ford Bronco.

I'm in Santa Monica

December 13, 2011

I'm in Santa Monica, CA this week for four days of strength training, brain training and bike testing with the Red Bull Performance Team.  It's a week of skill development and testing to provide tools to keep improving in my sport.  The schedule is super packed and my body and mind are going to be worked over by the time Thursday rolls around.

Yesterday was strength training sessions with the Red Bull Performance team and strength coach Nate Turner.  Nate has a long history helping athletes, like Lance Armstrong.  The focus of the workouts is to give us cycling specific workouts we can do on the road, with limited equipment and also identify areas that need improvement.

We were able to use the facilities at Malibu Crossfit.  Red Bull BMX athlete Mike Day was there too and it was great to meet him and find out about what he does.  MIke's an Olympic Silver medalist and working toward qualifying for 2012.  His races are about 40 seconds long.  Obviously we have way different training needs and strengths.  It was super interesting to see how explosive he is in the gym.  The guy can jump like a frigging rabbit.  However, he was challenged in the muscle endurance exercises and I found those easier.  It makes sense with our different race demands, but it was cool to see it in person.  It made me realized we all have things we're good at and not so good at.

After the gym workouts, I also head to Neurotopia today for some more crazy brain training courtesy of the Red Bull Performance Team.  Their tag line is "excellence is a state of mind" and they basically help athletes train their brain for performance.  I've done two sessions previously at Neurotopia to get a baseline of my brain function and start practicing.  The sessions this week will be adding onto that foundation.  I will report back more on this crazy subject after the sessions.
The bottom line is that Red Bull is offering me and their other athletes the best tools possible to keep their athletes performing at the world class level. 

It's a pretty cool job perk.

Stats for Rebecca Rusch are coming soon.
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