Our Story

Endurance Adventures launched in the spring of 2022. The idea came to Kim after returning from a two-week trip to Norway, where she competed in the Norwegian Birken event. Before the trip, she had connected with a family member in Norway. Her Norwegian friends helped plan their entire trip and hosted them at various homes and cabins throughout Norway. The trip was much more enjoyable and relaxing since our Norwegian hosts had planned out all the details. It was also wonderful to get the inside perspective from our Norwegian friends on the history of skiing in Norway.

“They hosted us at their cabin in the mountains and fed them an authentic Norwegian dinner, including a reindeer entrée served with Lingonberries and Krumkake (Norwegian ring cake). After competing in the Birken race event with our friends, they outfitted us with back-country ski equipment and guided us on an amazing ski up the mountain pass near their cabin in Rauland.”

Upon returning from Norway, Kim decided to combine her passions for travel, hospitality, and coaching into a new business venture. She is excited to plan, lead, and guide cross-country ski and mountain bike trips for adults of all ages and abilities. She and her trip leaders are excited to take participants to their favorite ski and bike destinations.

Meet Endurance Adventures Trip leaders:

Kim Rudd

Kim Rudd founded Endurance Adventures. Her passion for Nordic skiing started while racing in high school and being exposed to the famous Minnesota Finlandia ski race. She continued to ski race in college at Bemidji State University, where she met her soulmate and adventure partner, Craig Rudd. Kim has enjoyed racing for Team Rossignol for thirty years in various ski marathons around the Midwest and internationally.

She also enjoys mountain biking, canoe/SUP adventures, and coaching youth and adults at the Loppet Foundation. Kim is certified as a Level 200 BICP and Level 200 USSA Nordic coach. She is excited to share her passion for travel, cycling, and Nordic skiing with other like-minded adventure seekers! Her hobbies include gardening, cooking, reading, traveling, and bike packing!

Craig Rudd

Outdoor adventures started early when Craig’s family spent summer vacations camping and traveling in their 1970’s carpeted van. Over the last twenty-eight years, he has enjoyed taking his wife, Kim, and their two daughters, Hannah and Leah, on many backpacking, canoeing, mountain biking, and Nordic ski trips. One of his favorite family trip memories was mountain biking in Canmore, backpacking in Banff National Park, and going up to Haig Glacier for summer Nordic skiing.

Craig’s claim to fame is canoeing 160 miles in a two-day race event celebrating the 100th anniversary of Quetico Provincial Park. Craig enjoys competing in local and international Nordic ski marathons and has a passion for mountain bike racing. He also enjoys mountain adventures while visiting his two daughters, Hannah and Leah, in Bozeman, Montana. He is thrilled to guide new friends on more adventures nationwide!

Craig graduated from Bemidji State University in 1993 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Finance. He has been a financial advisor since 1996 and owns PRG Financial Business in Golden Valley. Craig and his wife, Kim, live in Plymouth, MN, and have two grown daughters who live in Bozeman, Montana. His hobbies include travel, home improvement projects, mountain biking, and cross-country ski racing.

Brian Gregg

For nearly a decade, Brian spent 200+ days a year on the road traveling and training/racing as a professional cross-country skier. Brian looks forward to leading the Methow Valley trip to show off his hometown’s 200 km trail system! Brian is a 2014 US Olympian in Cross-Country Skiing and a 2006 graduate of the University of Alaska Anchorage with a BA in Business.

Endurance Adventures Guest Coaches

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Cindy Swift

Julie Reith

Jen Rudie

I dabbled in mountain biking in the 80s, but I made a more permanent shift in 2016.  After some time in the saddle and a few technical clinics, I became certified as a Level 1 NICA coach and assisted in coaching my son’s high school mountain biking team.  In 2022, I received my certification as a BICP Level 1 Fundamentals Instructor and have coached clinics for the Loppet Cycle Works, the Superior Cycling Association, and Unruly Women.  As a coach, I aim to provide you with skills that will build your confidence on the bike and in the woods.  There is so much fun to be had, and I want to help you get out there!

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Jenny Beckman

Raised in Maple Grove, Minnesota, Jenny honed her skills in Nordic skiing from a young age, later elevating her talent to a competitive level at Saint Cloud State University. Here, she pursued a degree in Communications and Marketing and simultaneously discovered her enthusiasm for cycling. Seamlessly blending her academic background with her athletic passions, Jenny has carved a successful career path in the outdoor industry, contributing to organizations like Salomon and Gear West, and most recently, assuming the role of Marketing Director at ERIK’s Bike Shop Inc. Driven by a personal mission to spread her love for the outdoors, Jenny is dedicated to empowering other women, helping them build confidence and find their stride on the trails.

Jan Guenther

Already a successful store owner and athlete in both Nordic skiing and triathlon, Jan moved to Minnesota and founded Gear West with her husband and former Swix and Fischer ski rep Brian Knutson, in 1991. Jan Guenther has raced outrigger canoes in California and Hawaii, done a three-day cross-country ski race in Greenland, and completed six Ironman triathlons. She has trekked across Finland on skis just for the experience and paddled in flat-water canoe races across the Midwest. Jan’s athletic background has focused primarily on racing triathlons and XC skiing and organizing events for both sports. She enjoys coaching the women’s LNR Nordic training group and many other ski clinics in the Twin Cities and Hayward, WI area.

Mary McKevley

 Mary wore her first pair of cable-binding wood skis at age eight.  She was passionate about ski racing in high school, including Junior Nationals, and raced for Middlebury College. She took several years away to live in different countries, teach, and raise kids. She re-engaged in 2011 by taking a Loppet adult training class while introducing her kids to the Loppet Trail Kids program. It “snowballed” from there…Loppet ski training groups, coaching opportunities, professional development, racing, trail sports…

 Mary is a PSIA (Professional Ski Instructors of America) Level 2 instructor. She has been a Loppet Ski School Instructor for 5 years of all ages and abilities. She has coached Loppet kids’ programs since 2011 and is now working with North Minneapolis school kids. She enjoys training with the Loppet Lemons group and has coached other Loppet adult classes for years.

As a racer and a CXC Level 200 Coach, Mary enjoys working on fine-tuning skiers’ techniques and working with athletes to get faster. She enjoys racing in local ski marathons, including the American Birkebeiner. She has recently competed in three Masters World Cups.