Meet XOSKIN’s July Athlete of the Month, Rachel Ridgway. Rachel is an inspiring athlete whose passion for our products, love for running, and charismatic, witty personality have made her one of our top brand ambassadors in the Frederick, Maryland area.

Q&A WITH RACHEL RIDGWAY

How old are you?  

I am 46 years old.  Sometimes I forget and say I’m 28. 😊

Where are you from?  

I have lived in Frederick County, Maryland for the past 23 years.  Prior to that I lived in the mountains of North Carolina.

Where do you currently reside?  

Urbana, MD

What schools did you go to / what college did you go to?  

I got my Masters/Physician Assistant degree through Towson University; undergrad at Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.

Have you always been active?  

YES!  I grew up in a family with 5 kids — we were always outside coming up with new “activities”.

Did you play sports growing up?  

I lack all forms of coordination, and failed miserably at sports involving rackets or balls.  I’m also completely inept at swimming.  I guess I’m a runner by default.

Did you play sports in school?

 I ran track in high school and college (sprints!)

What do you do for a living?

I work full time as a Physician Assistant (PA-C), part time as a Race Director (Frederick Running Festival) and around the clock as a single mom of 2 teenagers.

How you got into running?

 I started running with my dad when I was young, and realized as I was good at it during Field Day in 5th Grade (when I beat the girls and boys in the sprints).  I’ve stuck with it ever since.

Favorite place to run?  

Little Bennett Regional Park (Clarksburg, MD)

Do you play any other sports/activities or cross train?  

I wish I could say I do, but I really don’t.  I have great intentions to cross train on my days off, but I find I really like taking the day totally off.

What else do you enjoy doing for fun?

 We have a small farm, so I enjoy riding our horses and playing with the chickens.

How many races you have you done?

I ran my first marathon in 2000, and have since done 65+ marathons, eleven 50ks, four 50 milers, and one 100k.

What future races are you planning on doing?  

I am currently training for my first 100 miler (Chattanooga, TN – December 2017).

What is your dream race?

Comrades Marathon

Why do you love XOSKIN apparel?

There’s enough to worry about and a lot that could go wrong in endurance racing — the one problem I consistently struggled with was with my tights always falling down/riding up/chafing me raw.  I fell in love with XOSKIN when I put on the tights fresh from the package and ran a marathon with zero issues. I came home and literally threw away all of my other tights.  Now I’m hooked on the socks too.  It’s an obsession.