Infinite Monkeys

What's 10x harder than Hawaii's Ironman Triathlon?

Why, the Race Across America (RAAM), of course. What is that? It's a bike race. Now hold on... It's not like your Tour de France, where the race is broken into stages, sleeping in hotels at night, with the occasional rest day. No, the RAAM is a race from San Diego to Atlantic City; once the clock starts, it doesn't stop. Riders will have to cross 14 states, climb more than 104,000 feet of elevation gain, traveling 3000 miles in just about 9 days. On average, racers will ride about 22 hours a day, eating on the bike, often riding the first 36-44 hours without stopping.

To put this in perspective:

In 1993 Outside magazine, the biggest and most popular magazine on outdoor sports, commissioned a panel of experts to rank the world’s toughest events. Using such criteria as the “Mule Factor”—the distances involved; the “Forum”—how tough the course is; the “Anguish Index”—how hard the competitors “have to work to convince themselves that what they’re doing is only mildly inane and self-destructive;” and the “O Factor”—a combination of the cost to do the event and the drop out rate. Given these criteria, as judged by a number of multi-sport athletes and observers, the ranking came out as follows:

1. Race Across America 676.2 points
2. Vendee Globe Around-the-World Sailing Race 675.0 points
3. Iditarod Sled Dog Race 417.5 points
4. U.S. Army’s Best Ranger Competition 402.5 points
5. Raid Gauloises Wilderness Competition 399.0 points
6. La Traversee Internationale (25-mile swim) 301.4 points
7. Badwater 146-Mile Cross Country Run 113.4 points
8. Hawaii Ironman Triathlon 67.2 points

Fewer people have completed the RAAM than have climbed Mt. Everest.

For the 23 RAAMs from 1982 - 2004, 276 brave people have started

141 or 51% have finished and 40 have finished unofficially (Solo riders have 12 days 2 hours to finish - 290 hours total - to be considered "official"- the record is 8 days, 9 hours, and 47 minutes)

12 people fall into both categories above.

This means that 169 people or 61% have ridden all the way to the finish line (over 1600 have scaled Everest).

107 people did not make it to the finish line.

Those who drop out are often admitted to a hospital for kidney failure, dehydration, over-hydration (hyponutremia), or similar maladies. I know of one death that occurred in 2003. Several riders suffer from "Shermer's Neck," a condition in which the neck muscles that hold up the head simply give out, requiring abandoning the race, or continuing with a brace.

The list of mechanical devices that have been used to support the head reads like a shopping list for an episode of the MacGyver TV program. Water bottles, Pringles® potato chip cans, bungee cords, boxes, even a hockey stick and duct tape (you can repair anything with duct tape!) have been used. For those who are prepared, specially designed head gear and chin rests have been created.

Admittedly, long distance cycling (ultracycling) is not much of a spectator sport. But an event like the RAAM is rife with human interest stories and inspiring feats. Early in the history of RAAM, these were covered briefly on ABC's Wide World of Sports. Last year, NBC vet Jim Lampley's production company put together a masterful 2-hour program summarizing the event. It was good enough to get my wife, who had been listening from the hallway while doing laundry, to take the time to sit down and watch the second hour with me. There were segments that had both of us a bit teary eyed.

Just last night I read that Lampley's production company will be filming the 2005 RAAM for a 2-hour NBC broadcast this winter. A force 25 cameras strong will be divided across the field of racers and "embedded" with the support teams. Solo riders, 2-person, four person, and corporate 8-person teams will all be covered. It will undoubtedly be great television. Trust me.

One of the things that makes RAAM great is that so many participants are riding to conquer challenges greater than the race itself. Whether they are putting the exclamation point on their own recovery from tragedy or disease, or raising money for, or awareness of, particular causes. Last year Randy Van Zee's ride was dedicated to raising money for wheelchairs for the poor, through a ministry called Hope Haven. His neck muscles gave out, and he wore a crazy contraption, made by some of his co-workers, that looked like a back brace with a scorpion tail over his head to which a chin strap was hooked. In Ohio, Van Zee crashed, injuring his groin. He was unable to walk, but he could still ride. When he arrived at the finish in the dark of night, barely under the cut-off time, his feet swollen out of his shoes, his seat covered in multiple layers of padding and duct tape, it was a while before folks realized that he couldn't get off the bike by himself. It was later discovered that the 52-year-old's crash back in Ohio had cracked his pelvis. Watching his finish, greeted by his wife and daughter, was touching and inspiring.

Two weeks ago, I got to meet one of the guys who is representing my local club/team. He's the young one on one of the mixed foursome relay teams. They'll do 15 minutes on the bike, 45 off, in sequence, doubling or tripling up shifts once a day to give one duo a chance at 90-120 straight minutes sleep/rest per day. They'll be able to hold a much higher mph average than the soloists, and will be shooting for the mixed 4-person team record speed.

They have a website about their adventure. They have all overcome some daunting personal challenges in their lives, and they're using the event to raise money for the Lance Armstrong Foundation. Please take a minute to read their profiles and be inspired by what they've overcome to get where they are and where they're going.

They will have a few RAAM support vets and several rookie support crew members. I was assured that someone is in charge of taking pictures to document it all.

This year's race is upon us. The soloists start June 19th. The teams start June 21st. They must all finish by noon, Friday July 1st. I've found the race's official website to be chock full of engaging reading.

Posted by Brad at June 15, 2005 01:26 PM | TrackBack