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PureFit Pays Tribute to Jure Robic

Robb Dorf — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 19:00:08 +0000

There are almost 7 billion people occupying space on planet Earth (6,853,019,414 according to the U.S. Census Bureau), but only one of them — a Slovenian named Jure Robic — won the Race Across America (RAAM) five times. Sadly, Jure, who was arguably the greatest endurance athlete to ever walk the planet, passed away over weekend after he and his bicycle collided with a car while on a routine training ride a few miles from the Austrian border in Slovenia.

For anyone unfamiliar with the RAAM, it’s a 3,000-mile cycling race across the United States. Unlike other high profile cycling races, like the Tour de France, RAAM is not a stage race; it’s one stage, live to the very end. In RAAM, once the clock starts on the west coast, it doesn’t stop until each racer reaches the finish line on the east coast. All told, it’s 30 percent longer than the Tour de France and solo racers finish in half the time with no rest days.

Here’s a short video about the race:

For his part, during one of his five wins, Jure completed the RAAM in just eight days with no more than 10 hours of sleep. Jure Robic may be gone but he certainly will never be forgotten. His remarkable career included:

From 1988 to 1994 he was part of the Slovenian Cycling National Team
In his career he won more than 100 races and has been on the podium at least 150 times
In September of 2004, he broke the world 24-hour road record by cycling 834.77 km (518.70 miles)
He won the Race Across American in 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008 and 2010

Rest in peace, Jure… you deserve it!

10 Questions Worth Discussing

Robb — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 00:36:00 +0000

One of the things I love about a free society like ours is that we have the ability to share our opinions and converse with one another in an open forum such as Facebook and this blog. Often, better ideas and plans are created when people ask and take the time to answer a few really simple questions:

Why do some guys ride their bikes with their helmets strapped to their handlebars and not their heads?
If the US provides health care to everyone, should everyone be required to quit smoking and take better care of him or herself?
Why did Merck pay over two billion dollars in fines for the Vioxx debacle but not a single person was indicted?
Why do some people still not use cordless headsets while driving?
Would anyone use AT&T wireless if AT&T didn’t have an exclusive arrangement with Apple for the iPhone?
Do you really believe chocolate-coated nutrition bar are nutritious?
Is Starbucks partially to blame for the growing obesity problem in the US?
Why don’t more people stop and help a stray dog or cat? (Just yesterday I returned a beautiful German Shepherd to his home when many people saw him before I did.)
Why do people show up to run a marathon without a nutritional plan?
Sport Jelly Beans? Seriously?

Help me out here. You don’t have to answer each of these questions but surely, like me, you have an opinion or two that’s worth sharing. Click on the “Comments” link below to get started (and for those of you who are shy or do not want to use your real name, feel free to make one up… the point here is to simply get people talking about some important issues).

Enjoy!

Inspiration, One Step at a Time

Robb — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 18:28:19 +0000

You don’t have to look very far these days to find inspiration. In fact, you’ve never had to. Everyday, just by observing what’s going on around you, you witness ordinary people doing extraordinary things. Whether it’s climbing tall mountains, finishing a triathlon, or hiking the Appalachian Trail, or beating the odds associated with breast cancer, adjusting and living an fulfilling life after being diagnosed with Celiac Disease, or managing a family while a spouse is serving your country overseas, inspiration can be found most anywhere you choose to look.

All of us face challenges. Some challenges, like athletic competitions, are self-imposed. Others, like overcoming illness or living with disease, are not. For D.J Gregory — who was born 30 years ago with cerebral palsy, underdeveloped lungs, entangled legs, and told by doctors he’d never walk — facing down challenges and overcoming obstacles takes on an entire different meaning.

As you saw from the above ESPN video, D.J Gregory challenged himself to something most of us couldn’t fathom attempting… walking every hole of every round of every event on the 2008 Professional Golf Association (PGA) tour — which turned out to be a trek of 1,000 miles.

Anytime I feel overwhelmed or like giving up, all I have to do is consider how hard D.J Gregory has to work just to make his way across a room (let alone the 1,000 mile journey he successfully completed in 2008).