INSIGHT RACE ACROSS AMERICA
RAAM DNF - THE NOBLE DEFEAT
Robert Langley
"Every kind of weather, every kind of terrain, every kind of logistical hassle, and every kind of body pain, makes this the toughest of them all”
Every rider arrives in San Diego with high aspirations, great expectations and the belief that in 8-10 days they will be dipping their toes in the Atlantic Ocean off the boardwalk in Atlantic City. From the moment the race begins, riders are in pursuit of glory, dreams and their cycling destiny.
However, as the riders pursue their glory they too are being pursued by the RAAM DNF Dragon. RAAM is billed as the toughest adventure race in the world and one of the criteria for assessment beyond the distance involved and the toughness of the course is the "O" factor, which refers in part to the drop out rate, or the DNF. In 23 years only 169 individuals have finished the solo RAAM, while over 1,300 people have summitted Mt. Everest (since Hillary & Tenzing in 1953) Only one person has done both – three-time RAAM winner Wolfgang Fasching who said RAAM was tougher. RAAM’s attrition factor leads more than 50% of the starters to give up the race and their dreams by making the dreaded or in some ways merciful DNF call.
The DNF Dragon thrives on its imaginative ways to induce aspirants to call RAAM headquarters and sing the DNF song. The riders are given a head start out of San Diego as they ride early race hope, but to be sure the DNF Dragon is in hot pursuit. It looms on every horizon, stares you down on every climb, and volleys circumstance and happenchance at you for entertainment and fun. More sinisterly, DNF hides in the dark corners and recesses of your psyche, waiting patiently to engage you in silent conversation that whispers demonic mantras of negativity and doubt.
Today we will explore some of the DNF Dragons that have seduced, cajoled, and downright wrestled past RAAM riders to give up the RAAM ghost and provide a sense to the many and varied challenges that lie ahead for the riders.
Dragon # 1 The Heat
Day 1 has the riders feeling the fiery breath of the dragon in the form of 110-120 degree heat through the Mohave Desert and Death Valley in California and Arizona. In case the heat beating down on you doesn't make you call, the radiant heat reflecting up off the asphalt might, as it creates a microwave effect on the riders. Go too hard in this environment, cross the anaerobic threshold and your body starts burning sugar for fuel. Lactate can mean disaster for a rider in perfect conditions. However, when your body burns glycogen, as it does when the heart rate crosses from aerobic to anaerobic, the body produces nine times the heat in doing so. With ambient heat at 110 degrees, the perspired heat has nowhere to go, Core temperature rises essentially frying and short-circuiting the entire body. Dehydration/Over hydration both loom as riders search for a delicate balance. Sunburn magnifies the effects and leaves a rider in pain from within and without. Need a quarter to make a call?
Dragon #2 Gastrointestinal
Day 2 represents a different kind of dragon. Stomach trouble. Overloaded and unaccustomed to processing and metabolizing over 10-15,000 calories a day to maintain fuel supplies, combined with trying to eliminate heat, the body revolts in the ugliest of ways. Vomiting, diarrhea and lost pride are the gift of the Dragon, casting off the very energy one needs to propel the bike closer to its destination.
Dragon #3 Attrition and Structural Collapse
By day 2-3 the body begins to fidget under the strain of a litany of structural problems. The DNF pinches riders at the Body bike Contact points. Thumb nerves compressed on handlebars go numb, as do the feet, which often swell 2-3 times their normal as toenails turn black and fall off. If the DNF Dragon is malicious and has no mercy, he shows it through saddle sores, which blister, bleed and chafe. More than a few riders have been eliminated by the indignity. Structurally, joints, tendons and muscles begin to spasm, ache or simply collapse. All are potentially RAAM deal breakers. Consider Shermer's Neck - the condition of no longer being able to hold one’s head up. Allen Larsen has pulled out of this year’s race due to this condition manifesting itself in training, giving notice of the DNF Dragon’s omnipresence.
Dragon # 4 The Antiself
The DNF Dragon’s signature strength is the art of negative conversation. He whispers seeds of doubt, breads negativity, and casts aspersions. Kevin Wallace describes it as “a discussion with nastiness”. “You’re not up for this. What are you doing? You’re going to hurt yourself. What are you trying to prove?” No rider is immune to the Dragons inquiry. The best of the best have stood somewhere in America, off the bike, declining to get back on, deep into a dialogue with the Dragon. Rob Kish, who has completed RAAM at least 18 times needed to disengage the dragon and listen to his wife’s encouragement to saddle up and continue. Jure Robic needed to have the same conversation with his crew to re-engage. Perry Stone, cycler and journalist asserts that there is only one way to deal with the Dragon. “Eradicate it with extreme prejudice.” The DNF in the end is not normally caused by the ailments. These are mere provocations. The DNF call is normally the act of a depleted will, diluted aspiration and loss of meaning and purpose. As Nietzsche observed, “If you have a why, you can ensure any how.” The Dragon keeps asking why until a rider ceases to have a worthy answer.
Dragon # 5 Team Dissonance
If the Dragon can’t reach the rider it plays on the rider’s crew, knowing that without support the rider is unsustainable. Physical discomfort, sleep deprivation, and boredom, provide fertile ground to plant seeds of despair, doubt, and irritability. Fatigue removes the barriers that normally protect the shadow side of ones personality showing itself. If the dragon can divide a team against itself or its rider, the race is effectively over. In 2004 Russ Goodwin’s race ended when his support crew first hit him with their vehicle from behind and then abandoned him in the deserts of Arizona. Ironically, his crew was his family. In the same year, James Rosar’s team lost their rider and spent hours trying to locate him. Psychotic episodes between Jure Robic and his Slovenian army comrades are legendary. All the masterful work of the DNF Dragon, reality TV at its best.
Dragon #6 Circumstance and Happenchance
The Race Across America is one of the very few sporting events in the world played outside of a controlled environment. Riders must battle the elements of rain, wind, heat and cold, as well as traffic, animals, poor road conditions and mere circumstance and happenchance. Combine that with a riders slowing responses All are in collusion against the rider to create the What the Hell? Moment. This year Mark Metcalfe of Duncanville, Texas, experienced the what the Hell? moment when an attacking Rotweiller forced Metcalfe to crash while attempting to avoid the dog and sustained multiple fractures in his shoulder, ribs, and hip. In the 2002 RAAM Pete Bajema, 1165 miles into the race, DNF’d, apparently the effects of running into a cow. They were the lucky ones. There have been others who have paid the ultimate sacrifice. Bob Breedlove and ???? lost their lives in accidents with motor vehicles. Both tragedies bear witness to the very real and ultimate risks that RAAM embodies.
Though the DNF Dragon courts riders with its wily ways, the Dragon plays a futile game not recognizing that in RAAM the DNF is a noble defeat. When we accept the call to our greatest strengths and act on its promise we ennoble ourselves regardless of ultimate victories. We express our humanity by participating in the shaping of our own lives and redefine what success and victory ultimately mean.
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Post Race Reports/Articles
Read post race articles from Oliver Moore of the Globe and Mail, Danny Chew of RaceAcrossAmerica.org, and Race Crew commentary. Read More.
A Note From Kevin on Day 6
I must say I am both humbled and appreciative of each of your comments. They mean so much to me providing much needed energy to myself and my team. Read More.
Dedications
As the endless miles attack Kevin's legs and soul, he'll draw strength from
thoughts of these eight courageous women. Read More.
Kevin's Message
I would like to thank my friends that are not on my crew during the race but have been part of the crew in preparation. Read More.
The Quest
Team Race makes it official. Our intent is to break the Mens SOLO RAAM record. Read More.
Kevin's Gear List
I am packing some last minute items on the eve of flying out to start line and I am overwhelmed with gratitude. Read More.
Kevin's Reflection from RAAM 2004
To compete in Race Across America (RAAM) was a dream come true. Read More.
The World's Toughest Race
Still the numbers are provocative and set ones mind to churning, and when the churning is done and the initial disbelief lingers. Read More.
RAAM DNF - The Noble Defeat
Today we will explore some of the DNF Dragons that have seduced, cajoled, and downright wrestled past RAAM riders to give up. Read More.
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