Marshall Reeves – Solo RAAM 2016

One Month To Go!

by Marshall Reeves on May 15, 2016 Comments Off on One Month To Go!

Well, RAAM is fast approaching. Less than one month to go. Last time I talked about the race in general. This time I want to touch on what is needed for the race. The following is a list of what we will have for our two week odyssey.

3 vehicles. A dedicated follow car, a shuttle car, and an RV.

Bikes! After trying several models, decided to go with the Eddy Merckx Mouranx 69. This bike combines the best characteristics for this event. Comfortable, stable, and fast. One primary, and one spare. Extra wheel sets, and enough spare parts to practically build a third bike.

Accessories: saddles – Serfas Rx, and an Infinity. Alternate to reduce the chance of saddle sores. Lights – Serfas again. Front and rear. Shoes – Northwave, and Serfas. Pedals – Speedplay. Bibs – Endura. Tires – Vittoria endurance. Flats are always a problem.

Food and drink: Anything I can think of! Mostly liquid. Try to replace about 12000 calories per day. Plenty of Ensure shakes. Carbo Pro and Gu for carbohydrates. Endurolyte and EmergenC for electrolytes.

Finally, and most importantly, CREW! Right now, it looks like a crew of 6 (we have room for a couple more if your’e in the mood for the adventure of a lifetime). A crew of six allows for two people per vehicle. Fatigue is the greatest obstacle for the rider, as well as the crew. Sleep will be at a premium. Next time, I will introduce the crew.

Finally, a great cause: “3000 Miles to a Cure”. Please consider a donation towards their effort to cure brain cancer (www.3000milestoacure.com). If you donate, and pass this along to 5 of your friends, something nice is bound to happen for you!😊

 

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Marshall ReevesOne Month To Go!

RAAM 2016, third time’s the charm

by Marshall Reeves on March 21, 2016 Comments Off on RAAM 2016, third time’s the charm

RAAM 2016 is fast approaching, and I thought I’d give an update on our progress. This being our third try, we have experience to draw on, and have hopefully learned from it. I plan to post periodically and discuss topics such as the race itself, training, equipment, and strategy. If there is anything in particular you want to know, please feel free to ask. Most of you are familiar with RAAM, but I thought I would start this first installment with a brief overview.

The race is 3000 miles across the United States. It starts in Oceanside, California, and ends in Annapolis, Maryland. It covers every conceivable terrain and climate. Temperatures range from 30°, to as much as 115°. Elevation varies from -170′, to over 10000′, with total climbing in excess of 100,000′. The route is determined for the racers, with 53 time stations (checkpoints) along the route. There are two intermediate time cutoffs as well as the final cutoff in Annapolis, of 288 hours (12 days) for solo men 60, and women. In the in the history of the race, only around 200 racers have finished the solo event within the time cutoff.

I almost talked myself out of it just now! Next time, I will discuss the logistics involved with such an epic undertaking, and why we are doing it.

Thanks,
Marshall

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Marshall ReevesRAAM 2016, third time’s the charm

RAAM 2016: Meet Marshall Reeves

by Caroline Jennings on March 5, 2016 Comments Off on RAAM 2016: Meet Marshall Reeves

We are thrilled to welcome Marshall Reeves to our RAAM 2016 crew!  This June, Marshall will be biking all the way from Oceanside, California to Annapolis, Maryland to raise money for brain cancer research.  We thought you might like to get to know our fearless rider, so we asked some questions, and he gave some answers:

reeves

Q. Tell us a bit about yourself, Marshall.

A. I have a patient wife, Madge, of 35 years. She has a masters in counseling, which comes in handy when dealing with me. Two grown kids, Jesse and Molly. Jesse is a Full Sail graduate living in Portland, Oregon. He’s currently working on a film project with a classmate. Molly is in Philadelphia. She is applying for a graduate program at U-Penn in psych/counseling. We also have two emotionally challenged dogs: Rocky and Clementine (both inherited from Molly). I was born in Rhode Island, but grew up in South Carolina. Went to school there at USC. Majored in physics, and was in NROTC. Graduated and went to Navy flight school. 6 1/2 years in the Navy then on with Delta Air Line. Still there, flying as an international captain. Also part owner of Infinity Bike Shop. Make money flying, lose it with the bike shop.

Q. How did you get into cycling?

A. I played soccer at USC, so needed an athletic outlet after. I already ran, swam and cycled a little, so triathlon was a natural choice. Dozens of races later, including 11 ironman distance races, I realized that my affinity was cycling. I started doing endurance races where I met, and became friends with RAAM legend, Rob Kish. We did a two man European version of RAAM, called Le Tour Ultime, and the RAAM seed was sown.

Q. Do you have any lucky charms you plan to take with you?

A. I don’t have any lucky charms. I’m a little OCD, so try hard to avoid it. If I didn’t, every aspect would be riddled with obsessive routine!

Q. What have you been doing to train for the big event?

A. Training comes easily. I like to ride, and my job keeps me off the bike for days at a time, so I am always anxious to ride, but not worried about taking days off. I live in Florida, and have a place in North Carolina. I can train year round, and have a place with hills. I get by with fewer miles, so it works out, and fitness has never been an issue. I also enter endurance events leading up to RAAM to test my fitness.

Q. Let’s hear a fun fact about yourself.

A. Some don’t think it’s fun, but my mind is always thinking of puns. Most I keep to myself, but occasionally, I torture people with them. My son is the same, and during last RAAM, we had a running pun-fest that lasted for hours. Kept us awake.

Q. What is your most defining personal trait?

A. I would like to think my defining trait is integrity. I have a strong moral compass, and make decisions based on that. Tenacity would be a close second. I guess three attempts at RAAM would demonstrate that…..or is that stubbornness?

Q. What words of hope would you offer to someone affected, either directly or indirectly, by brain cancer?

A. Hope is tough with such a devastating diagnosis. One thing I always think of is the longer you fight, the greater the chance of a cure being discovered. Even if there is only a limited time left, think about the best equivalent time span in your life, and match that. Whether it’s 10 years, one year, or a month.

Q. What keeps you going when times get tough?

A. Honestly, and this charity comes into play here, when times get tough, I don’t have to look very far to find someone with an even tougher situation. It makes my problems seem trivial.

Q. Can you give us your favorite personal anecdote?

A. When you’re this old, there too many anecdotes to relate. I guess one good one is when, during an ironman, I couldn’t figure out why the bike leg was so uncomfortable until I was done and realized I had put my bike shorts on backwards in transition.

Q. What/who is your biggest source of motivation?

A. I feel as though I have been given the gifts of talent and opportunity, so my motivation is not to waste it. I know there are a lot of people who have dreams, and are unable to chase them because of circumstances.

Q. So you’ve attempted RAAM twice before…is third time the charm?

A. I hope the third time is a charm! We’ve learned much from the first two tries, and will implement that into this year’s effort. The biggest obstacle for me is sleep deprivation, so this year I am going to try to get on a regular schedule. I have the tendency to go too long, and wind up behind the power curve. Luck is also an important factor, so with our prior experience, we hope to minimize the risk. Injury was a factor the first time, and fatigue the second. My secret weapon this year is that I will be 60,  so they give me more time. The downside is that I will be 60 this year.

Be on the lookout for more personal snippets from Marshall as we get closer to the big event!  In the meantime, please consider making a donation to support our cause.

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Caroline JenningsRAAM 2016: Meet Marshall Reeves