McCall, ID—March 18, 2008— One day you take a trip to snowy Idaho to do some off-season training in the form of cross country skiing and the next thing you know you’re a world champion. Such is the life of endurance athlete, Rebecca Rusch.

The five day Masters World Cup event included more than 1,200 competitors from 23 different nations. While most athletes set out to earn the title of “World Champion,” Rebecca merely set out for a good workout. To her own surprise, her convincing time of 44 min and 58.8 seconds captured the women’s 15k free technique world title for ages 35-39. The new Cross Country Masters World Cup champ has proven that she may be able to use her cross country skiing skills for more then just training.

“It was super fun to hear people cheering in different languages,” Rebecca said while describing the atmosphere during the Masters World Cup. “It’s sort of funny because I am not a great cross country ski racer, I only use it for training and now I am world champ in that too.”

This new title now adds another world championship to Rebecca’s already impressive resume. In September of 2007 Rebecca gained her first World Championship by winning the 24-HR Mountain Bike World Championships. To help guide her during her world championship campaigns, Rebecca used the Suunto t6 wristop which allowed her to monitor her heart rate and training effect throughout the entirety of the races.

This isn’t the first time Rebecca has shown the ability to quickly propel herself into elite status in a new athletic emphasis. In only her second ever 24-HR mountain bike event Rebecca won the U.S. National Championships after deciding to switch her focus away from adventure racing.