Friday's Athlete Profile - Ross Dowswell

One guy I admire tremendously is Ross Dowswell from Mount Holly, NC. Ross is not a blazing fast runner, but as the distance grows so does the chance of him finishing ahead of most. I would say his strength is mountain biking and running is a close 2nd. I met Ross two years ago at a day-long social mountain bike event in Fort Mill, SC and gradually came to respect him as a solid athlete and consider him a friend.

Tell us about yourself. Family, work, hometown, etc.
I grew up in Ontario Canada, so obviously I played a lot of hockey. When I wasn’t hacking at the puck, I would be Cross Country or Down Hill Skiing amongst other activities. I think my true passion was Dirt Bikes. Whether it was cutting a hot lap at our local track or ripping through Northern Ontario’s crown land trails. I was happiest with throttle wide open.


I've seen you in a number of events from off-road cycling and running and road running to multi-sport events. What's your background in endurance sports? What got you started in it?
When I turned 40 (I am 45 now), I was a cigar smoking, 200 lb workaholic/couch potato. One day while surfing the internet I came across a link that referred me to a mountain biking trail in Statesville NC called Signal Hill. I took my Wal-Mart Huffy and off I went. After a couple of laps of this 3 mile course I was completely and utterly drained yet wanting more. Finally a hobby that was great fun and would keep me physically fit. I immediately realized that this was the sport for me.

I started to run, just as a way to cross train for Mountain Biking. It turns out that I really enjoy running, which was quite a surprise to me since I avoided it like the plague during school.

I started racing mostly as incentive for continual improvement and to see how far I could stretch my physical limitations.

Have you always been successful in these races?
I really never even thought about endurance sports until I decided to enter the “Break away to the beach” MS 150 ride. This is a great 2 day event which is about 180-200 miles of road riding that went from Weddington NC to North Myrtle Beach SC.

Do you have a favorite event, cycling, running, distances, etc? Are you most successful at that event or another one?
My favorite has to be the one day MTB events such as “Off Road Assault on Mt. Mitchell”& “Swank 65” (I would also like to try the Shenandoah 100 and the Fools Gold).

I also really enjoy duathlons and trail running events.

I know you recently raced in the Burn 24 Hour mountain bike event (and did amazingly well). Tell us about that experience.
I always liked the trails at Dark Mountain in Wilkesboro NC. This course is about a 6 mile loop with a good amount of climbing with some nifty downhill sections. I figured it would be good for a “solo 24 hr” first timer.

I had planned and trained to do this event with my geared bike, however 2 weeks before the event someone stole both bikes out of the back of my truck. I missed the 2006 Burn and was damned if I was going to miss it again in 2007. I scrapped enough money together to purchase a 29er single speed (SS).

Being that it was the first time I have ever done this kind of thing my goal was just to make it across the finish line. The single speed added a whole new perspective to the task at hand. I put a 32/22 gearing on it and planned to just spin my way around the course.

Mark Hendershot and Rich Dillen (SS extraordinaire) were a couple of the favorites to win this event. My buddy Matt McPherson (also on a SS) a 24 hr. solo veteran was also a contender. I planned to follow him around and see if I could maintain that pace.

I felt pretty good Saturday and Saturday night. It was hot so we used up a lot of water/energy drinks. I had no idea where I was in the standings and didn’t really care. I really thought that the pace I was keeping would not be competitive. At dusk on Saturday night I remember being passed by Rich Dillen. I wished him luck as he blew by me. How can this guy go so fast for so long? It was inspiring.

Due to a great support crew (David and Wes) I was able to stay focused on cutting consistent laps. They made sure I was fed and watered and kept me pointed in the right direction. I remember Wes telling me that I would get a “second wind” at sun rise Sunday morning. Nothing could have been further from the truth. It had been a pretty good night, but for some reason at this point the goal seemed unattainable.

Around 7:00 or 8:00 am (at this point I’m not very coherent) during a pit stop the guys told me that if I could make it 3 more laps I would lock in 3rd place.

I was flabbergasted…. Surely I could pull that off. Although newly inspired the next lap was hell. My body was worn and my feet were burning.

I could not pedal another stoke. With 2 laps left we removed the “egg beater:” pedals (special clip in pedals) and installed regular flat pedals.

Flat pedals are not the best for efficient pedaling, but I would not have been able to make it to the end with out them. The last lap was like a dream. You can’t imagine the relief knowing that it was just about over. My trusty 30 lb SS steed worked flawlessly. I made it to the line, delirious, half expecting somebody to tell that they had made a mistake and that I to do one more lap. Thank goodness not. I walked down to the lake and lay in the cool water wondering what kind of nut would want to ever do this sort of thing. Me that’s who. What a great feeling! (3rd overall, 1st SS).

www.mylaps.com/results/newResults.jsp?id=542656


What's a typical training week for you?
Usually about 10-12 hrs consisting of at least a 3 hr road ride on Sunday, off Monday, a 10 mile trail run Tuesday, local race series Wednesday (I haven’t been able to do the this year though) or spin class at the “Y”, 1.5- 2 hr road ride or trainer Thursday, weight training Friday and 1.5 – 2 hr trail run or road ride or MTB ride Saturday.

Are you very technical (HR monitor, GPS, nutrients, etc.) in your training or go more on "feel"?
I have the Garmin GPS/Heart rate monitor. That really helps for the tracking progress on my road ride routes.

What's your next big event and goals?
The 12 hr Tree Shaker is coming up next. I believe I will try that one on the single speed.

My goal is to try and stay fit and competitive for my age group. I don’t think I can devote any more time to training, but perhaps I cam learn to train more efficiently and improve that way. Plus there are still lots to learn and lots to do.

What and/or who inspires you as a competitor/athlete?
Good Question. During an event I have to constantly remind myself how crappy I will feel if I don’t put in 100% effort (or as close as I can get). I can deal with a poor result as long as I know that I did my best.

Do you have a favorite specific race?
I had a lot of fun at the Swank 65. Pisgah National forest is such a great ride and the Swank offers long gut wrenching fire road climbs and very technical single track.

What's your proudest moment? Both in sports and in life.
The Burn result has to be the best. Not a lot of people would attempt a 24 hr solo event, never mind finishing in a fairly respectful position.