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How did Rach get into triathlon?
After quitting sport at age 15, Rach started running again, 10 years later, in January 2004 – the middle of the brutal Ottawa winter – as a commute to grad school. For some company and training guidance, they joined a local marathon clinic and 9 months later completed the Berlin Marathon in 3:32 - qualifying for the Boston Marathon. They ran Boston in 2005 and made all the rookie mistakes. They were completely over-trained, underfed, and finished disappointed with their performance. Their running buddies were also into triathlon, and so they decided it might be a fun new thing to try. When they sat down with a running mentor for some training guidance, she told me "I think you could be an elite triathlete." Rach took that idea and went for it, trained hard, and at age 28 did their first local sprint distance triathlon. They remember coming out of T1 and starting out on their bike with a huge grin on their face thinking “I’m really doing it!” They nearly won that race, placing second.From there on, triathlon completely took over my life.

Rach's first Olympic distance race happened to be National Championships where they won their age group and got a spot at the World Championships. After a mechanical on the bike in the race in Lausanne, Rach went back to World Champs next year and won their age group at 29. That year they also started racing draft-legal ITU triathlon, placing 5th at the Canadian Elite Nationals and 9th at US Elite Nationals in 2008.During their own personal transition, they went back to school for another Master’s degree and decided to take their training down to just one sport, racing bikes for a local team. 18 months later they graduated and decided to take the summer off to recover from intense study before finding a job in their new career. My cycling coach Bjoern Ossenbrink suggested they try this Half Ironman distance triathlon thing. Much to their surprise they won their first race by a whopping 24 minutes and post a time that would have put them in the top-10 in the professional field of the Ironman 70.3 World Championships. So at age 32, they decided if they were going to take the risk of professional athletics, it was now or never!

Why are they called the Purple Tiger?
Living as a punk rocker in Berlin, they got the “tiger” nickname when a little kid on a train platform said to their mum “Look, mummy! A tiger lady!” because of Rach’s dyed tiger-print hair. Their girlfriend at the time thought this was hilarious and the nickname stuck. Their favourite colour is purple! So when they became a pro athlete, they quickly started colouring all the things purple: mohawk, bike, first custom race kit by Wattie Ink… and since then, they’ve been known as the Purple Tiger!

Is it true that they have two Masters degrees?
Yes! Rach has a Masters in Cellular and Molecular Medicine from the University of Ottawa and a Masters in Genetic Counseling from the University of British Columbia.

When does Rach plan on retiring?
No time soon! They will continue to compete until their body or brain tells them it’s time to quit. At this point, they are still highly motivated and only getting faster and stronger!

What does Rach think about doing after retirement from triathlon?
They have so many sporting adventures still on their bucket list. They dream of spending hours running in remote trails and up mountains. Ultra trail running is high on their list, as well as epic, long on- and off-road rides. They are so intrigued by the limits of the human body. They hear stories, especially from ultra distance athletes, of hallucinations, extreme fatigue and digging into the deepest parts of the psyche to keep on moving forward. Of finding flow states where the body and mind are one focused entity completing amazing feats. These are extremes they are so curious to experience.

Where did Rach grow up?
Rach was born in the US Pacific Northwest and lived the first decade of their life outside of Seattle. Their family then moved to Cincinnati, Kansas City, and New Jersey, before finishing high school in Berlin, Germany.

If six packs are made in the kitchen, we want to know what Rach eats!
Their diet is pretty simple, mostly unprocessed foods, and a whole lot of fats! Mayo is their fav condiment. That and olive oil go on everything except breakfast. They eat a primarily pescatarian diet. They’ve had oatmeal for breakfast consistently for nearly 20 years! Their meals always include a starch (rice/pasta/potato) and a protein (tofu/veggie meat/ free-range eggs/wild salmon) and some veggies. They eat a square or two of dark chocolate at least once a day and are a big fan of plain potato chips!

What does it mean to identify as non-binary?
Non-binary means Rach identifies outside of the gender binary of man/woman. Rach’s biological sex is female, and so they race in the female professional category at this point. 

Rach grew up feeling very out of place in the world of gender. They didn’t feel like they fit into the boy and girl boxes and have been asked if they are “a boy or a girl” for as long as they can remember. It wasn’t until their 20s that they learned there was language to describe who they were, but only recently have they had the courage to truly embrace their authentic self and start to speak publicly about their identity. Rach has had the opportunity recently to speak a lot about their experience. Check out the Media section of rachmcbride.com, especially this podcast they did with Inside Tri!

Does Rach still play the cello?
Indeed! Rach learned to play the cello at age 9 and immediately fell in love with the instrument. They studied classical cello until going to university where they were introduced to the Toronto indie and art scene. Rach was part of a hilarious shock rock band with a circus sideshow flair at university. They have composed for a one-person + cello show; done performance art, spoken word/cello duo, improv dance; toured the US with the band picastro; and performed in Berlin and on BBC radio. Rach does still play, but not as often as they’d like these days - more in the off-season, but they still seem to have a gig every few years to keep their skills sharpened.

Does Rach have a job outside of triathlon too?
Yup, Rach is a sex geek! Rach works a few times a month for Options for Sexual Health, a non-profit that provides sexual health care and sex education throughout the province of BC.