The latest? My buddy Josef Ajram of Spain and my Ultraman compadre is trying to talk me into doing RAAM with him as part of a 2 man relay this June. Say Whaaaat?
At first, I was all like, no way, no how. Too hard. Too expensive, too cray, too this, too that. Every reason to pass it off as ludicrous. Irresponsible. Insane. For those of you who may not know, “RAAM” stands for “Race Across America”. And what, pray-tell does that mean? Exactly what it says. A race across the entire United States. Its “Cannonball Run”. Only on a bicycle.
Then I started to think about it. That’s how my addictive brain works, you see. A crazy idea just gets lodged in there. It festers. And before long, it becomes an obsession. That’s how my Ultraman journey began. And I feel it happening again.
Because when you think about it, you realize, wow, that could be pretty darn cool. 2 guys and a crew guttin’ it out in June for 3000 miles across the entire U.S. of A. From Oceanside, CA all the way to Annapolis, MD. And unlike Ultraman, this ain’t no stage race. Its straight through — stop at your peril. From what I understand, the top soloists essentially ride non-stop coast to coast in about 12 days, on a diet of Ensure and 40 minutes of sleep per night in the bushes along the road. Can there be anything more insane? Of course. But this is right up there at the top of the lunacy chart.
Then again, what an epic experience. I can hardly say I’m ready for something like that solo, but I think I can begin to wrap my brain around doing it as a 2 man team in shifts. Hardcore Absolutely. But plausible? Definitely.
My boy Jason Lester from Ultraman is doing it solo. And he only has one arm. Ultraman Alums David Goggins & Tony O’Keefe (3rd at UM this year) are doing it solo. And Shanna Armstrong from Ultraman is the reigning queen of this event. If they can gut it out alone, I’m confident I can do a relay.
I’m not saying I’m committed. Yet. Let’s just say its swirling around in the brain at the moment. But it is exciting to think about. Its 6 months away — so just enough time to get ready if I shift focus. But I would have to decide soon. Very soon.
The only true limiter is finances. But I know from experience, that when I have faith and just begin to move forward, if its in alignment with God’s plan for me to do this, then somehow it will work out.
I’m told it would take a minimum of about $25 – $30K to fund the adventure — crew vans, support, etc. And I certainly can’t afford to foot that bill. Josef said he can raise 1/2 the budget from Spanish sponsors, which leaves me with needing to raise about $12 – $15K in sponsor funding. So I have a few sources I plan to approach, but if anyone out there has any ideas for me or any companies / persons who would be willing to jump on the funding bandwagon, I’m all ears. I guess what I’m saying is that if I can raise the money to do it, then I’m in. And if I’m in, then I plan to raise alot of charity money.
Did I just commit to this? I think I just did. No, not really. Well, maybe. God help me:)
For more information on RAAM, click HERE.
