Meet Corrina

Aspiring adventure racer Corrina Suess tests her limits with the RMAC-Winter Edition

Written by Stephanie Hardi

Oshkosh, WI native Corrina Suess has decided in 2021 she’s going to try adventure racing – and the Rib Mountain Adventure Challenge-Winter Edition will be her first race. She’s hoping adventure racing will help her increase her activity level and help combat the asthma she’s lived with since childhood.

Outside the limits   
“I’m an aspiring outdoors-person,” said Corrina. “I want to make exercise a more consistent part of my life to help manage my asthma. And I’m always looking for ways to challenge myself.  That’s what ‘Find Your Tough’ means to me – going outside the limits of what I think I can accomplish. I like to prove myself and other people wrong. That’s what this first adventure race is about for me.”

A hiker’s high
Corrina has already made big strides in upping her activity level and setting big goals for herself. She recently made a trip to Colorado where she not only completed the Manitou Incline, a famously strenuous hike where hikers climb more than 2,000 feet of elevation in less than a mile, but she also summited a Colorado 14er: 14,625-foot Quandary Peak. Both achievements are impressive for anyone who is not only an asthmatic, but who also doesn’t have much high-altitude experience.

“My boyfriend did get altitude sickness and needed to turn back on the 14er,” Corrina said. “But I didn’t want to turn around! He understood that I needed to summit. So, I kept going. It was tough, but I’d do all 7.5 high-altitude miles again in a heartbeat. I was proud to be at the top of that mountain.”

Newbie adventure racer 
Like other many other recent adventure racers, Corrina was inspired by the Eco-Challenge Fiji adventure race reality TV show.  

“My boyfriend and I were watching it, and I was like ‘I’m going to do that,’ “Corrina laughed. “But he knew I was serious.  I Googled adventure races in the area, and the Rib Mountain Adventure Challenge came up. And here we are a few months later, getting ready to do several races together!”

Corrina said she was drawn to adventure racing because of the variety of disciplines it offered, as well as the strategy involved.

“I get bored easily when working out,” Corrina said. “I think adventure racing will keep my attention because of the variety – and I know I’ll find the navigating challenging. I’ve been practicing! My boyfriend is a great asset – he’s an excellent researcher and has helped me navigate the adventure racing world and the gear we need.”

Searching for nature
Corrina also explained that the COVID pandemic made her realize how much she enjoyed the outdoors — another reason she’s attracted to adventure racing.

“During the lockdown I realized how much getting outside and getting some fresh air, seeing some nature, helped me both physically and mentally. That’s another reason I want to give adventure racing a try – I love that it gets you out into nature.”

Although the RMAC-Winter Edition is Corrina’s first race, she plans to do several more this year to see if adventure racing will be her sport of choice.

“Once I started investing in some of the gear, I told myself I was going go to a few races to really see if I could get into it,” said Corrina. “And I’m stubborn — once I’ve made my mind up that I’m going to do something, I do it. And if my team and I don’t finish this time, we’ll come back for the next race in May!”