Rebecca Rusch is an American
ultra endurance professional athlete
In professional sports, as opposed to amateur sports, participants receive payment for their performance. Professionalism in sport has come to the fore through a combination of developments. Mass media and increased leisure have brought larg ...
, seven-time
World Champion
A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...
, author, entrepreneur,
Emmy Award
The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...
winner, and motivational speaker whose career has spanned numerous
adventure sports including
rock climbing
Rock climbing is a sport in which participants climb up, across, or down natural rock formations. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a usually pre-defined route without falling. Rock climbing is a physically and ...
,
adventure racing
Adventure racing (also called expedition racing) is typically a multidisciplinary team sport involving navigation over an unmarked wilderness course with races extending anywhere from two hours up to two weeks in length. Some races offer solo co ...
,
whitewater rafting
Rafting and whitewater rafting are recreational outdoor activities which use an inflatable raft to navigate a river or other body of water. This is often done on whitewater or different degrees of rough water. Dealing with risk is often a ...
,
cross-country skiing
Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing where skiers rely on their own locomotion to move across snow-covered terrain, rather than using ski lifts or other forms of assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreation ...
and
mountain biking
Mountain biking is a sport of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, usually using specially designed mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and pe ...
.
Rusch was nominated to the
Mountain Bike Hall of Fame
The Mountain Bike Hall of Fame (MBHOF) was founded in 1988 to chronicle the history of mountain biking. Formerly located in Crested Butte, Colorado, it relocated to Fairfax, California in 2014 and became part of the Marin Museum of Bicycling.
Si ...
in 2019 as well as the inaugural class of the
Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame in 2022 and owns seven World Championship titles in multiple disciplines. Rusch was a member of the US National Whitewater Rafting Team as well as several international adventure racing teams, participating in the
Eco Challenge (1997–2002),
Primal Quest (2002–2006) and
Raid Gauloises (2000, 2002, 2003) series.
Personal life
Rusch was born August 25, 1968, in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico to Stephen Rusch and Judy Tomlinson Rusch. Her father, a US Air Force F-4 pilot, was shot down during combat in the Vietnam War in 1972 when Rusch was 3 years old. She has an older sister, USAF Major Gen. Sharon Bannister. Rusch attended college at the
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the Univ ...
where she studied business marketing. Rusch married Greg Martin in September 2014; Martin is an engineer firefighter for the Ketchum fire department and accomplished mountain biker and outdoorsman. They live in
Ketchum, Idaho
Ketchum is a city in Blaine County, Idaho, located in the central part of the state. The population was 3,555 at the 2020 census, up from 2,689 in 2010. Located in the Wood River Valley, Ketchum is adjacent to Sun Valley and the communities sh ...
.
Event production and activism
Rated a Top 5
gravel event by
Global Cycling Network
Global Cycling Network (GCN) is a cycling-related YouTube channel which was launched in 2013. It is run by the multi-channel network Play Sports Network, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. The channel is presented by Daniel Lloyd, Under-23 ...
and one of the 25 Best Bike Rides in the World by Outside Magazine, Rebecca's Private Idaho has been staged every Labor Day weekend since 2013 in Rusch's hometown and surrounding Idaho backcountry. Conceived and reconned by Rusch, produced in partnership with her sponsors, the
gravel grinder
Gravel cycling, gravel biking or gravel grinding is a sport, or a leisure activity, in which participants ride bicycles mostly on gravel roads. Sometimes, specially designed Gravel bicycle, gravel bikes are used; in other cases, any bicycle ca ...
, stage race and outdoor festival benefits local, national and global charities: the
ood_River_Trails_Coalition;_the_Idaho_chapter_of_the_National_Interscholastic_Cycling_Association;_People_for_Bikes_and_World_Bicycle_Relief.html" ;"title="National Interscholastic Cycling Association">ood River Trails Coalition; the Idaho chapter of the National Interscholastic Cycling Association; People for Bikes and World Bicycle Relief">National Interscholastic Cycling Association">ood River Trails Coalition; the Idaho chapter of the National Interscholastic Cycling Association; People for Bikes and World Bicycle Relief. RPI, along with other cycling clinics, camps and guided tours coordinated and led by Rusch (including Rusch Academy and MTB Lao), plus adventures like mountain biking up and down Mount Kilimanjaro have raised over $500k to date in support of select nonprofits.
Rusch established the Be Good Foundation, a 501(c)3 nonprofit, in honor of her father Capt. Stephen A. Rusch, who signed his letters home from Vietnam using those two words. Its mission is to enrich communities by using the bicycle as a catalyst for healing, empowerment and evolution and to create opportunities for outdoor exploration, personal discovery and humanitarian service. Priorities include removal of UXO, or unexploded ordnance, throughout Laos; protecting public lands for recreation and access; and partnering with other cycling-related nonprofits to fund impactful change. Rusch has partnered with
Mines Advisory Group
The Mines Advisory Group (MAG) is a non-governmental organization that assists people affected by landmines, unexploded ordnance, and small arms and light weapons.
MAG takes a humanitarian approach to landmine action. They focus on the impact ...
(MAG) and jewelry company Article22 to support UXO mitigation efforts.
Author: ''Rusch to Glory''
''Rusch to Glory: Adventure, Risk & Triumph on the Path Less Traveled'', published August 2014 by VeloPress and written by Rusch with Selene Yeager, chronicles her journey from rookie suburban high school cross-country runner to World Champion endurance athlete, and all the adventures in between. Set in the exotic locales and extreme conditions that forged an extraordinary athlete from ordinary roots—trekking through
Borneo
Borneo (; id, Kalimantan) is the third-largest island in the world and the largest in Asia. At the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, in relation to major Indonesian islands, it is located north of Java, west of Sulawesi, and eas ...
, mountain climbing in
Patagonia
Patagonia () refers to a geographical region that encompasses the southern end of South America, governed by Argentina and Chile. The region comprises the southern section of the Andes Mountains with lakes, fjords, temperate rainforests, and gl ...
, navigating the rivers of Vietnam, racing bikes across the
Andes
The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S ...
—Rusch's rambling led to a successful career in ultra adventure racing, but when the TV cameras dropped out and sponsorship dollars followed, Rusch's story carried on. "At age 38, Rusch faced a tough decision: retire or reinvent herself yet again. Determined to go for broke, she shifted her focus to endurance mountain bike racing and rode straight into the record books at a moment when most athletes walk away. ''Rusch to Glory'' is more than an epic story of adventure; it is a testament to the rewards of hard work, determination, and resilience on the long road to personal and professional triumph."
Public speaking and media
Accepted as a presenter at the inaugural TEDxSunValley event, Rusch spoke to a hometown crowd of 300 on November 30, 2016. "Navigating Home", her 17-minute address, can be viewed on Rusch's YouTube channel. On May 27, 2019, Rusch and her sister Brig. Gen. Sharon Bannister were invited to be co-keynote speakers in Washington D.C. by the
Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, Inc. (VVMF), is the non-profit organization established on April 27, 1979, by Jan Scruggs, a former Army Infantry in Vietnam. Others veterans joined including, Jack Wheeler, and several other graduates of Wes ...
, dedicated to remembering those who served in the USA armed forces in Vietnam and to maintaining the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Rusch counted it as "the most important speech of our lives, sharing our parallel stories of finding Dad and keeping his memory and impact alive. Through the loss of one family member, we have gained thousands of new family members who have also been touched by loss."
Outside TV
Outside TV (formerly RSN Television) is a sports-oriented cable and satellite television network based on ''Outside'' magazine. The network features programming related to various outdoor activities and the lives of those who engage in them. H ...
has broadcast a three-part documentary miniseries following Rusch and fellow explorer Steve "Doom" Fassbinder over 6 days of mountain biking, rock climbing,
canyoneering
Canyoning (canyoneering in the United States, kloofing in South Africa) is a type of mountaineering that involves travelling in canyons using a variety of techniques that may include other outdoor activities such as walking, scrambling, climb ...
and packrafting in Utah's Bears Ears and Grand Staircase Escalante National Monuments with the intent to promote preservation of public lands. Outside TV also captured the Iditarod Trail Invitational as Rusch, in her first attempt at the race, completed 350 miles as the first female finisher in a self-supported wilderness
bikepacking venture through the Alaskan wilderness in subzero temperatures.
These efforts and more are discussed in a Rich Roll podcast. An ultra athlete and author, Roll says, "Rebecca's accomplishments are beyond impressive. But our conversation lives beyond elite performance to explore things like curiosity. The richness of adventure. Feeding the soul. Continuous personal growth. Redefining age. Contributing to the greater good. And giving back. Most of all, this is about what can be gleaned by leaning into the unknown. And living outside the comfort zone. My hope is that it leaves
istenersre-evaluating personal limits. And inspired to live more adventurously."
Emmy Award winner: ''Blood Road''
In 2015, Rusch with Huyen Nguyen became the first persons to pedal the entire length of the 1,800 km (1,200 mi)
Ho Chi Minh trail through Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. ''
Blood Road'', according to director Nicholas Schrunk, "set out to document an epic cycling expedition as well as Rebecca's personal journey to visit the crash site
f her father but we ended up uncovering something much deeper. It's a story about the scars, both physical and emotional, that war leaves on families, countries, and cultures, and how they still exist today." Blood Road earned the "Feature Film Award" at the Wasatch Mountain Film Festival. The film earned "Best of the Festival" and audience favorite awards at the
Banff Mountain Film Festival The Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival is an international film competition and annual presentation of films and documentaries about mountain culture, sports, environment and adventure & exploration. It was launched in 1976 as ''The Banff Festival ...
,
Bentonville Film Festival
The Bentonville Film Festival (BFF) is an American film festival held annually in Bentonville, Arkansas that focuses on diversity.
Foundation
Bentonville Film Festival was founded by actress Geena Davis and ARC Entertainment executive Trevor Dr ...
, Breck Film Fest and Sun Valley Film Festival, where it premiered in 2017. Nominated for one
Sports Emmy Award
The Sports Emmy Awards, or Sports Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS), the Sports ...
and two
News & Documentary Emmy Award
The News & Documentary Emmy Awards, or News & Documentary Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sci ...
s, it won the latter for Outstanding Graphic Design & Art Direction in 2017.
Media accolades
*Elected to inaugural class of Gravel Cycling Hall Of Fame (2022)
*Elected to Mountain Bike Hall Of Fame (2019)
*Outside Magazine Top 40 Women Who've Made the Biggest Impact (2017)
*Men's Journal 25 Most Adventurous Women in the Past 25 Years (2017)
*Trailblazer MVP Award, Women's Sports Museum (2017)
*Active.com
*
#19 of 50 World's Best Athletes (2015)
*Active.com No. 32 of 50 World's Best Athletes (2013)
*Mountain Biker of the Year, Endurance LIVE Awards (2010)
*Sports Illustrated Adventure Racing Team of the Year (2003)
*Outside Magazine Top 20 Female Athletes of the Year (2003)
*Adventure Sport Magazine "Queen of Pain" (2004)
Individual races
*Iditarod Trail Invitational 350, 1st Woman (2019, 2021)
*Iditarod Trail Invitational 350, 1st Self Supported (2021)
*
Dirty Kanza XL 350, 1st Woman (2018)
(event renamed in 2020 to
Unbound Gravel
Unbound Gravel, formerly known as the Dirty Kanza, is an event comprising gravel racing covering various distances held annually during the late spring in the Flint Hills region of the Great Plains around Emporia, Kansas, United States. The race ...
)
*Dirty Kanza 100, 1st Woman (2017), 1st Overall (2016)
*Smoke'N'Fire 400, Women's record holder (2015)
*Jay P's Backyard Fat Pursuit 200k, 1st Woman (2015)
*Trans Andes Challenge MTB Stage Race 300k, 1st Woman (2014)
*Dirty Kanza 200, 1st Woman (2012, 2013, 2014)
*Leadville 100, Winner and women's record holder (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012)
*24 Hours of Moab, solo MTB race, 2nd (2007)
*Mountain X-Games Adventure Race, 1st Women's team (2007)
*24 Hours of Moab, 1st Women's team (2005)
State and national championships
*XC Single-Speed National Champion (2011, 2013)
*USAC National Singlespeed Champion: Sun Valley (2011)
*24 Hour Team MTB National Champion (2008, 2009, 2011)
*Idaho Cyclocross State Champion (2009)
*Idaho Short Track State Champion (2008, 2009)
*USA Cycling Ultra Endurance Series Winner (2006, 2007, 2009)
*USA National Marathon Championships, 4th (2008)
*24 Hour Solo Mountain Bike National Championships, 2nd (2007)
*24 Hour Solo MTB National Champion (2006)
*24 Hour Orienteering National Champion (2006)
*US Whitewater Rafting National Champion Team (2001, 2002)
World races and championships
*Gravel Bike Racing World Champion (2015)
*World Masters XC Cycling Champion (2010)
*3-Time 24 Hour Solo Mountain Bike World Champion (2007, 2008, 2009)
*Masters Cross Country Skiing World Champion (2008)
*Primal Quest Expedition Races (2002–2006)
*Eco Challenge Adventure Races (1997–2002)
*Raid Gauloises Expedition Races (2000, 2002, 2003)
*Raid Gauloises Adventure Racing World Championships, 1st (2003)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rusch, Rebecca
1968 births
American mountain bikers
Living people
American female cyclists
21st-century American women