I'm Randy Mouri and this blog is about my quest to be an official finisher in the Race Across AMerica (RAAM), the toughest endurance race in the world. It's over and I became an official solo finisher in 11 days, 1 hour and 13 minutes! We continue to raise money and awareness on behalf of Habitat for Humanity of Northern Virginia (Habitat NoVa). If you would like to make a donation to Habitat NoVa, please visit my page on Habitat’s site. Endless thanks to our sponsors and all the folks that have made such generous contributions. Team Mouri would not have been able to travel so comfortably, which certainly may have changed the outcome of the race.

Thursday, May 6, 2010

THE SECOND BIG TEST

Well the first BIG test was qualifying for RAAM, which I did back in September 2009 at the Adirondack 540.  The second BIG test will be coming up soon.  May 16th is the start of the Elite PAC Tour.  Here is a brief description from the web page:  

This tour is only for Elite Riders! Each day is planned to offer the best support and efficiency for riders who want to simulate riding at a Race Across America pace across the country during daylight hours. RAAM winners Lon Haldeman and Susan Notorangelo will help you mentally and physically to succeed during this difficult tour. A recommended training goal is to ride 300 kilometers in 10 hours or complete 350 miles in 24 hours. Our route will follow 75% of the RAAM 2010 route with a good mix of mountains and back roads. Riders who complete 100% of the tour (14 mph minimum elapsed time) will qualify for the Race Across America.
This tour averages 165 miles per day across the deserts, mountains and prairies of the southern and central United States. Full support is offered to keep everyone rolling efficiently across the country. Riders who complete each day within the time limits will also qualify for the Race Across America solo division.

Since I am already RAAM Qualified (RQ'd), it is not crucial that I maintain a fast pace with the front riders.  They will likely be averaging 20-24mph on the bike and I certainly don't have the training miles to take on such a task.  My goal is simple.  And that is to simply endure the drastic changes in terrain and temperature and to complete the tour with a reasonable average speed.  After all, I'll be getting a full night sleep every evening, so I'm hoping for good recovery each day.  The Elite PAC Tour will be my benchmark for where my training needs to be in the following year.  It may end up being a suffer-fest!  We'll have to see what happens.

I do enter into this ride with a little apprehension.  The reason being is that when I sent in my entry form, Lon called me at home and said that I may want to reconsider my entry.  He was basing this on my most recent 100 and 200 mile times.  I haven't ridden 100 or 200 miles for time in ages, so I was basing my times on my latest brevets, which tend to be a little slower, due to the control stops and lunch break.  I think I posted 7 and 15 hours for each.  I promised not to complain and that he could leave my on the side of the road, if need be (the last part is not true, but I thought it added a little drama to this post).  We both agreed that I knew what I was getting into and I would not be asking for a refund, if my ride ended after day 3.

Lon's wife, Susan contacted me later via email and made me feel a little better for holding my ground.  She commended me for my desire to give it a go.  I'll have a full story when I return June 4th and hope to provide updates along the way.  Here's the itinerary:

  • 16th - San Diego, CA to El Centro, CA (126mi)
  • 17th - El Centro, CA to Wickenburg, AZ (220mi)
  • 18th - Wickenburg, AZ to Flagstaff, AZ (154mi)
  • 19th - Flagstaff, AZ to Kayenta, AZ (151mi)
  • 20th - Kayenta, AZ to Durango, CO (178mi)
  • 21st - Durango, CO to Monte Vista, CO (145mi)
  • 22nd - Monte Vista, CO to Trinidad, CO (145mi)
  • 23rd - Trinidad, CO to Ulysses, KS (193mi)
  • 24th - Ulysses, KS to Pratt, KS (151mi)
  • 25th - Pratt, KS to Yates Center, KS (174mi)
  • 26th - Yates Center, KS to Osage Beach, MO (182mi)
  • 27th - Osage Beach, MO to St Louis, MO (175mi)
  • 28th - St Louis, MO to Effingham, IL (143mi)
  • 29th - Effingham, IL to Crawfordsville, IN (157mi)
  • 30th - Crawfordsville, IN to Greenville, OH (142mi)
  • 31st - Greenville, OH to Athens, OH (176mi)
  • June 1st - Athens, OH to Elkins, WV (157mi)
  • 2nd - Elkins, WV to Orange, VA (165mi)
  • 3rd - Orange, VA to Williamsburg, VA (141mi)
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