Dessie Weigel is a beast of an endurance athlete. She was a favorite to win the Idaho State XC meet her junior year of high school but suffered through excruciating calf pain the entire season. She finally found out that her muscles produce excess lactic acid, so much that her muscles were deteriorating. No cure, no treatment. No more running. 

Dessie is a COMPETITOR. She started pole vaulting (from a 6-step approach) and then found cycling. She says, "I needed to be training and using my body. I needed to be able to compete." She found that these sports didn't put the same amount of strain on her muscles so she could do hard workouts, as long as she was careful. 

She poured her competitive fuel into cycling, but she says it was biking was just a vehicle. She always knew she was going to be a speed skater. After college she moved to Salt Lake City, Utah and signed up for a "Learn to Speed Skate" class. Now she's one of the fastest amateur skaters in the nation, aiming for a spot on the 2022 Olympic Team.