| Linda Rahal, WCL ’92
 Photos courtesy of ASI
Linda Rahal at the 2005 World Championship Ironman Competition |
An accomplished triathlete and partner in a Washington-based law firm, Linda Rahal works hard and plays even harder. In 2005, the Bethesda resident finished third among female competitors in the CEO Ironman Challenge, a grueling competition that includes a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride, and 26.2-mile run. Her impressive finish in the Lake Placid, New York, event qualified her for the World Championship Ironman Competition later that year in Kona, Hawaii. It was an event, Rahal says, that “most triathletes only dream of.” Rahal, who has numerous marathons under her belt, signed up for her first of five ironman competitions several years ago at the urging of her friends. “I always like to set new goals for myself. I learned to swim nine months before my first race,” laughs Rahal, who trains for 16 to 18 hours per week in the months before a race. Although the Boston native has always been athletic—she counts yoga, weight lifting, and cycling among her many heart-pumping hobbies—Rahal kicked her workouts into high gear when she was studying for the bar in the early ’90s. “That’s when I started training for my first marathon,” she recalls. “I found I needed to balance out the intensity of sitting and studying for so long with an intense running regimen.” And she hasn’t slowed down since. In 1998, Rahal rode 350 miles in the Washington, D.C., AIDS Ride and nearly 500 miles in the 2001 Alaska AIDS Vaccine Ride. Even now, while she’s taking a break from competition, she works out for 60- to 90-minutes every day—before breakfast. “I always look forward to working out,” says Rahal, who plans to compete in several shorter triathalons next year. “It keeps me balanced and helps me maintain a positive mindset.” An hour on the treadmill also gives Rahal plenty of energy—something she needs to get through her 60-hour work weeks at Trow and Rahal, a leading Washington firm specializing in immigration and nationality law. For her work with foreign nationals, Rahal, along with partner Steve Trow, has been named to the 2007 edition of The Best Lawyers in America. “It is an amazing honor to be selected among those voted as Best Lawyers by my peers. It was unexpected, but I am very proud of the acknowledgment,” says Rahal, who, along with Trow, was named top immigration lawyer by Washingtonian magazine. Rahal says her success in the gym translates to success in the courtroom. “Training teaches you discipline and focus, and those principles apply to work as well as triathalons,” she explains. “If you devote yourself 100 percent to something, you’ll be successful.” —Adrienne Frank continued next page |
