Racer's Corner - Dr. Mike Rumpel

Dr. Mike Rumpel came across his athletic abilities “late” in life. “My first solo race was in Utah. Jesse Mong approached me on a whim and I had no idea what I was getting into. I discovered that 1. I enjoyed it and 2. I was pretty good at it,” he says. Mike was always active growing up but mostly just “participated”. “It was very empowering to realize that I could do well based upon my own talents, but also to see that through training I could improve, and that spilled over into different areas of my life,” he adds. “At the age of 40 it’s exciting. I could look at it as disappointing – I could have done more when I was younger. But I choose to look at it as I have the next 40-50 years to compete at various levels and continuously improve throughout that time period.”

Committing to the races motivates and inspires Mike to stick to training. “Otherwise life is so busy and the temptation is there to put it off. It helps me to continually improve.”

Q. What is it about competing that you love? I love the personal growth. I’m out there to win, but most of my competitiveness is geared towards self-improvement, competing against prior performances and perceived limitations.

Q. Take us through a typical training day.
A. Fitting it in is the challenge – life is so busy. During the week the day starts at 4:30 and 5am with a run, meditation, journaling and visualization. When working I’ve structured my schedule to do a training ride at lunch time on the indoor trainer. On the weekends if I’m able to be outside I get outside. Basically I’m riding five to six times per week, running four to six times per week, and doing a gym/home workout two to three times per week. Up to 13 workouts per week.

Q. What events are you taking part in this summer?
A. I’m currently committed to two races – the Spokane Round and Round 24-hr race on a five-person team and then in October I’m going back to Moab to compete in the 24-hrs of Adrenaline. It’s an opportunity to see how well I do in comparison to five years ago.

Q. What are your main goals when competing?
A. I set a placement goal, but it’s not my primary focus. With the team event in Spokane we’re going for first place in our age category, Moab top ten. Above and beyond that it’s about personal growth and development. With a 24-hour race, the first six to eight hours is physical. Eight to 14 mental. I look forward to about the two to three am mark, the transition to the spiritual. That’s where I want to head with these races, where I learn more about myself - who I am and what I’m able to do in life.

Q. How do you think Fernie’s recreational side has changed since you’ve lived here?
A. Fernie’s always been an active community - it’s part of life here. Because of that people are very open to people being active. In the last fifteen years I’ve seen a movement from an acceptance to expectation of activity. There is a shift in consciousness – exercise as a part of life for everybody, not just the athletic.

Q. Racing Mantra
A. Mountain biking is a metaphor for my life. The harder I train the better I’m able to ride, the more fun I have while riding, which translates to how well I’m doing in my life as a husband, father, friend and chiropractor.