The Team

tim buchholz

Tim started adventure racing in 2004.  He first heard of the sport when he saw Eco-Challenge on TV in the late ‘90s and did his first race a few years later with his girlfriend (now wife) Anna.  Tim has become one of the elite adventure racing and orienteering navigators in the country and is a previous Florida Orienteering State Champion and Collegiate Adventure Racing National Champion.  He has competed in over 150 adventure races and won over 65 of them.  Along with Anna, Tim is co-race director of the annual Rib Mountain Adventure Challenge in Wausau Wisconsin.  Outside of adventure racing, Tim is a Professor of Music at the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point, where he is the Director of Vocal Jazz Ensembles and contemporary voice.  You can find out more about Tim and his music at: www.timbuchholz.com

anna nummelin

Anna started adventure racing in 2004. Her first race was a 12-hour AR that she did as soloist and she has since become one of the top female adventure racing athletes in the country. She has competed in over 130 adventure races and won over 55 of them and was a Collegiate Adventure Racing National Champion. Along with Tim, Anna is co-race director of the annual Rib Mountain Adventure Challenge in Wausau Wisconsin. Outside of adventure racing, Anna is a Family Nurse Practitioner working in Urgent Care at Aspirus in Wausau, Wisconsin. She also teaches belly dance at 5 Koshas Yoga in Wausau, WI, and performs at conferences and festivals throughout the country.

erik martinez

Erik is an incredibly well rounded athlete, and is a glass-half-full kind of guy.  He is an accomplished marathon runner, orienteerer, and adventure racer, and our team clothing and layering expert, always selecting the perfect race apparel for any weather condition.  Outside of racing, Erik is a Physical Therapist, and sought after wedding singer.  He lives in Chicago, IL with his wife Becky, twin children Nora and Owen, and dogs Bill and Ted.

Ryan Knitter

Ryan started adventure racing in 2009 after hearing about the sport from a friend.  He was hooked before he ever signed up for his first race.  After racing competitively for a few years, he took some time off in 2014 to pursue a masters degree through Northwestern University.  Ryan joined the team in 2015, adding incredible speed/strength on the bike, an uncanny ability to spot checkpoints, and a winning smile.  He currently lives in Minneapolis, MN and is an active member of the Minnesota Orienteering Club.

andrea larson

Andrea started running in 6th grade and hasn’t stopped since. She was a three sport athlete in college where she set the school record in the 1500m.  Upon graduating she has balanced endurance training while working as a Research and Development Chemical Engineer where she met her husband, Simon.  Having never run a marathon, she decided to start racing ultra-marathons.  She competed in the Leadville 100 mile trail race twice, improving to a podium finish as well as breaking a 50 mile course record.  The next year she “switched gears” and was runner-up in her first bike race, a solo 24-hour mountain bike race.  She then took a break from competition but continued to stay active, running or roller skiing to work most days, including up to the day of the birth of each of her daughters. 

JESSE SPANGLER

Jesse stumbled upon adventure racing in 2015 and has been hooked ever since. Although he previously enjoyed trail running, adventure racing introduced him to the incredibly fun world of mountain biking, orienteering, and paddling. He has quickly learned the skills needed to become one of the top adventure racers in the country. In his first race with Rib Mountain Racing, they won the 2022 72-hour Sea to Sea Adventure Race. Jesse enjoys winning and hanging out with Tim and Anna, so joining the team was a perfect match. Outside of adventure racing, Jesse frequently competes in running races, bike races, and orienteering events. He also practices as a full-time emergency physician in Richmond, Virginia.