Rebuilding After the Crash with Kait Boyle | EP50

Kait Boyle is a world champion ultra-endurance mountain biker and co-founder of Bikepacking Roots, known for setting course records on some of the hardest self-supported races in the world, including the Arizona Trail, Kokopelli Trail, and Vapor Trail 125. Two months after winning 24-Hour Worlds in 2018, a car accident on black ice shattered her pelvis and left her uncertain whether she'd walk again. In this episode of What’s the Rusch, Rebecca and Kait trace the eight years since: a full recovery, a season stepped away from ultra racing, and this year's third attempt at the Colorado Trail record, cut short after one day by a back injury. They talk through the mantras that carried Kait through her hardest hours, the sports psychology and physical therapy behind her comeback, and what it means to build an identity that isn't tied to finishing lines. ## **Show Notes** ### **Rebecca and Kait discuss:** 1. Her path from graduate work in adventure education to racing ultra-endurance mountain bikes full time 2. Winning 24-Hour Worlds in 2018 and stepping away from a full-time job to chase racing 3. The car accident two months later that shattered her pelvis and ruptured her bladder 4. The ICU conversation with her surgeon that shaped her entire recovery 5. Learning to tell ordinary back tightness apart from an injury serious enough to stop for 6. The mantras "I get to" and "water is the softest thing" that carried her through recovery and this year's setback 7. Walking away mid-race at 24-Hour Worlds and stepping back from ultra racing for several years 8. Returning to racing and building toward three attempts at the Colorado Trail record 9. This year's Colorado Trail attempt, cut short after one day, and what she's carrying into the next chapter ### **Transformative insights:** 1. A doctor's early belief in a patient's recovery can shape the entire trajectory of that recovery 2. Softness and patience can move as much as force ever could 3. An identity built entirely on athletic performance is fragile; a life built on community and place is not 4. Preparation and effort still count, even when the goal itself doesn't come together ### **Vulnerable moments:** 1. Kait describes lying in the ICU on Christmas Eve, not knowing if she'd walk again 2. Her partner Will's fear about her returning to ultra racing after living through the accident with her 3. The moment mid-race at 24-Hour Worlds when she and her physical therapist agreed she had to stop 4. Watching this year's Colorado Trail race unfold without her, after scratching her own attempt ### **Practical wisdom:** 1. How to tell normal training soreness apart from an injury serious enough to stop for 2. Using a mantra tied to a specific goal, not a generic one, to get through low points 3. Working with both a sports psychologist and a physical therapist as ongoing, standard support 4. Deciding your own limits in advance, before race-day pressure and public commitments make that harder ### **Personal growth:** 1. Kait's shift from defining herself by racing results to defining herself by community, place, and connection 2. How three years spent chasing the Colorado Trail record left room for a new chapter instead of another attempt 3. Rebecca's reflection on her own concussion recovery and what led her to start this podcast 4. Learning to sit with not knowing what comes next, rather than rushing toward an answer ## **Links and Resources** 1. Bikepacking Roots 2. Kait's website 3. Kait's Instagram 4. Kait's Substack, Here + Now ## **Show Sponsor** This episode is brought to you by Rebecca’s Private Idaho, where adventure, community, and purpose come together in the wild. Join us in Sun Valley for a ride that's about more than the miles; it's about showing up for yourself, your community, and the planet. Registration is open! ## **Support Us** If this episode moved you, please share it with someone, leave a review, send it to a training partner, or post your favorite takeaway on social media. All of these help us continue to bring you these inspiring conversations! Subscribe and Follow Rate, Review, and Share Get Connected: Follow Rebecca on social media or subscribe to our newsletter for behind-the-scenes content and updates on new episodes. Website Instagram LinkedIn Substack Blood Road Become a Partner: Interested in reaching an engaged audience of leaders, athletes, creatives, and purpose-driven individuals? What's the Rusch is the place to align your brand with authentic conversations about performance, purpose, and personal growth. For sponsorship inquiries and media kit information, please contact [Aerah@RebeccaRusch.com](mailto:Aerah@RebeccaRusch.com).