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August 2015 Rider of the Month

Tim RiegerAugust 2015 Rider of the Month, Finding Another Way: Tim Rieger
Tim Rieger was facing a three-pronged challenge. He was looking for a way to raise $10,000 for his favorite charity; he was two weeks away from the start of his ultra-running season; and he had just developed a stress fracture.

He turned to an ElliptiGO elliptical bike, and soon saw success. In just two months, he went from being a brand new ElliptiGO owner to completing a 24-hour ride, raising more than twice his fund-raising goal for A Kid Again. For this, we salute Tim as the ElliptiGO Rider of the Month for August. Read Tim’s story.

1. Tell us a little about your pre-ElliptiGO background in regards to athletics/fitness.
I have been running for 20 years! I ran for the University of Cincinnati, where I was all-conference in track and cross country. Upon graduating 13 years ago, I have continued my running career at the professional level. Two years ago, I made my debut on the ultra-running scene, and it was a success. I am grateful to be an ambassador for the sport of running to people of all ages.

( Tim won the 2005 Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon, and he has personal bests of 2:26 for the marathon and 8:23:19 for 100K.)

2. What model ElliptiGO do you own; when did you start riding; and what was the catalyst that caused you to invest in an ElliptiGO?
I own the ElliptiGO 11R. I just started riding back in June. I was two weeks away from my Ultra season, and I developed a stress fracture in my tibia. While I was extremely disappointed, I did not want to spend 8-12 weeks cross-training inside during the summer. My teammate Kristen Zaitz had purchased an ElliptiGO several years ago, and in the back of my mind, I knew one day, I would be buying one. The timing was right, and the rest is history!

3. What does a general week of riding look like for you, and how does the ElliptiGO fit into your overall workout routine?
When I was injured, I was riding 5 days around 200-300 miles per week. Now that I am back running, I will use the ElliptiGO as supplement to my training.

4. Did you do any special training for your 24-hour ride?
Those 200-300-mile weeks were my preparation. Saturday was a long ride of 6-8 hours and at least 100 miles. There was one weekend that I participated in Ride Across Indiana, which was 160 miles. I used that event as a tune up for my 24-hour, 250-mile fundraiser.

5. Describe your charity ride.
I started in Columbus, Ohio, went to Dayton and ended up in Cincinnati, where I spent the last 14 of the 24 hours riding around a 5-mile loop. From about 4:30 in the morning till 8:00 at night, I was doing loops. The goal was to ride 250 miles in 24 hours and I rode 325 miles. Overall, I felt very strong.

6. Tell us a little bit about A Kid Again: why you got involved with it, and how much money you raised.
I sit on the Board of Directors for A Kid Again; I have been a Board Member for 5 years. The goal for the seven-week fundraiser was $10,000, and we were able to raise $20,750!

The mission of A Kid Again is to foster hope, happiness and healing for families raising kids with life-threatening illnesses. Families thrust into the situation of having to care for a child with a life-threatening illness are unprepared and usually unequipped to deal with what follows, often feeling they have lost their hold on the situation and their own lives. A Kid Again helps to restore a sense of normalcy for their child and themselves.

We strive to give these kids an opportunity to have fun and feel like they should – the kid they are meant to be each day. Our adventures are designed for kids to have something to look forward to, to have fun with friends and give their sisters, brothers and parents some respite as well. Siblings are often left on the sideline due to the stress and necessary attention/time demands of the ill child. They also give our families a time to connect and network with each other. They empathize and understand what one another is facing. They connect and become resources to one another as well.

7. What’s next for you, and what are some of your ElliptiGO-related goals for the next year?
Great question! I am not sure yet. My focus right now is getting back to competing Ultras at the elite level. I certainly see the ElliptiGO as not only a way to maintain my fitness but also push some of the ultra-distance and other events to a whole another level. More to come….stay tuned!

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