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