Jure finished today :-). Very interesting reading his website and seeing his last stage struggles --the photo on the RAAM site is simply spectacular of him towards the end.
If anyone lives near any of the final time stations try to get out to cheer the RAAMers in…the crew and riders need it!
Very exciting to watch Ben from Alaska to become the youngest male to ever finish RAAM…hope his final miles go smoothly.
If you haven’t been following…the back of the pack is all bundled up. Can’t fathom having to hold a set speed to not lose your position (or increase to try to improve the position) over the W.Va mountains.
I was paying fairly close attention to this years race… until Bob Breedlove was killed. Frankly, at that point I lost all interest.
This won’t be a popular thing to say, but with two deaths in three years, the organizers of this race should do some serious soul searching. But to be honest, I’m not sure how you can make this event safe. Riders crossing the country on often-busy roads on 1.5 hours of sleep a night, followed by crews who may be just as sleep deprived as they… I really don’t know what the answer is. Again, no one is going to like this: But the surprising thing to me is not that two people have died recently, the surprising thing is that the race went two decades without a fatality before this.
I’m sure the race will go on, and people will sign up for it. After all, when seven people, including one of the sport’s best-known guides, died on Everest in one day, it didn’t put a dent in the popularity of the mountain.
RAAM is a compelling adventure event, but I just hope that this latest tragedy makes everyone involved face up to the risks involved and do whatever they can to minimize them.
Ironically enough you’ll probably find it’s sad incidents like this that generate even more interest for entry. Julie Moss didn’t die on the finish line but her struggle generated massive interest.
Paul, I’ve contemplated tackling such a thing. I’m not sure where to start, though. I’m sure it takes a phenomenal amount of organizing, planning, and commitment…any suggestions so far? PM me to keep from hijacking the thread, please…
I’m in the “is this even feasible in the next few years?” phase.
Thanks anyway