Rebecca Rusch

Adventure racing calls for a deep well of skills: paddling, rock climbing, biking, navigating, skiing, and more. Since turning pro in 2001, Rebecca Rusch has proven to the world she has what it takes to execute any of the above even after going beyond her limits in far flung places like Kyrgyzstan and Tibet. After winning adventure races became routine, she added 24 Hour Solo Mountain Bike racing to her résumé and proceeded to dominate the sport in 2006, 2007, and is currently two time World Champion.

Rusch moved to California from the stark plains of Illinois after college to pursue rock climbing. She soon racked up ascents of big walls from Yosemite to Zion. Paddling was next as she rose through local competitive ranks to race with the world-famous Offshore Canoe Club’s women’s outrigger team in the brutal Molokai crossing. Adventure Racing was the next challenge. The first race she entered was a qualifier for the Australian Eco-challenge. “We ended up winning the race. The rest is history!”

So what do you do if you win the first major race you’ve ever entered? Quit your job, move into your Ford Bronco, and set your sights on becoming the best. After several years on the road, she landed in Ketchum, Idaho which is currently her home base. In the nine years since that first adventure race, Rusch became one of the strongest female captains in the sport and garnered an incredibly deep résumé.

In 2006, Rebecca successfully turned her talents toward endurance solo mountain bike races while continuing to compete in the toughest adventure races. In 2006, she won the Solo Mountain Biking Nationals, and took second in Worlds. In 2007, she became the 24 Hour Solo Mountain Biking World Champion. In 2008, Rebecca remained in the top seat by once again dominating the World Championships.

currently in Washington D.C

December 11, 2009

I am currently in Washington D.C. for a little early Christmas celebration with the family. Flying here was a bit like the movie Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. The stereotypical holiday travel image was firmly in place, plane de-icing delays, holiday mayhem, and general chaos across the country. I have to admit though, that my favorite part of traveling is people watching. All the jet lag and discomfort is easily outweighed by the things you see while on the road.

R

ight before I left for D.C. we did a fire department workout that was similar to CrossFit. Although I have done these tire flipping and explosive workouts before, I had never done them with my pullups on. Keith Potter is a KFD member and personal trainer and he’s been designing workouts that are sort of like CrossFit, but that mimic the weights and work we have to do on the fire ground. He has 5 different workouts. The one we did was “overhaul”. It’s only 20 minutes long, but I’m definitely sore! We did the workout in full turnout gear. Got some funny looks from other gym members, but it was really fun! I will check in soon from the road.

Cheers

Reba

Stats for Rebecca Rusch are coming soon.