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.

Arriving back to winter in Idaho

February 15, 2012

Arriving back to winter in Idaho directly from summer time in Chile and Argentina was a bit of a shock for us. Greg and I got the bike gear cleaned and packed away and pulled out the ski gear. We embraced winter to the fullest last weekend for the Stanley, ID Winterfest with a bunch of friends. Stanley is only about an hour's drive from Ketchum, but it feels like a real get away into the craggy peaks of the beautiful Sawtooth Mountains. Stanley is known as one of the coldest places in the US and the winter population doesn't break into the triple digits. The get-a-way was motivated by the Winterfest, which includes a winter "triathlon", drag races, big air competition and other events that are concocted by the stir crazy locals.



The triathlon started on backcountry ski gear and went through check points such as the panty tree, beacon search, and refreshment table. From skis, we went to bikes and did a lap through town in 6 inch deep powder, then finished with a run down main street in ski boots. Costumes were mandatory and the pre-race speech included a quote about nothing in life being taken seriously. The triathlon probably took about 20 minutes and I had a funny conversation with my new CTS coach, Dean Golich, about what I did on my prescribed rest day. I probably got my heart rate up more laughing at the costumes than the actual triathlon part.



Day 2 of this perfect weekend was skiing one of my favorite lines in the Sawtooths. A great group of 8 of us tackled Abe's Chair, which is about a 3000 foot climb and descent down a really fun chute. The training schedule was for a long, endurance day, so this fit the bill perfectly, even though I wasn't pedaling a bike. This time of year is all about mixing skiing and riding in order to get the right mix of winter training.



This week, it's back to business with sponsors, emails and getting the Fate cleaned up again and ready to race this weekend. I'll be heading to AZ for a little training raced, the 24 Hours of Old Pueblo. I'll be racing with mountain bike Hall of Famer, Nat Ross. We've raced along side each other for years and he was responsible for sharing his experience with me when I first got involved with 24 hour racing. It'll be great to join forces with him. We are racing as the King and Queen of Pain!

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