This weekend 84 solo racers and 48 relay teams are racing 508 miles through the desert of California. The Furnace Creek 508 has been the oldest RAAM qualifier. This year it’s not a qualifier due to the ongoing feud over the UMCA buying RAAM a couple years ago. Not being a qualifier doesn’t seem to have hurt the race much.
The Furnace Creek 508 is where I first qualified for RAAM in 2002. It’s a great race and has a lot of history but the desolation of the desert started getting to me mentally. There’s beauty in some deserts but not much where the 508 goes. It does go through Death Valley which has beauty but nearly all the riders go through it in the dark.
The lead riders are already through the Trona check point, 153 miles into the race. The top 5 are
- Kevin McNulty
- Michael Emde
- Chris Ragsdale
- Gerry Cody
- Vinnie Tortorich
That means that Kevin McNulty has averaged 23.8 miles an hour. As with all RAAM qualifiers, that’s without any drafting!
Vinnie in 5th place was on David Holt’s RAAM crew with me this summer. He’s a great guy. Last year he DNF’d so I hope he continues to do well.
In the women’s race, Catharina Berge is the only one through Trona. In California City, Isabelle Drake was 2nd and Shanna Armstrong was third.
You can keep track of the standings as the race continues today and tomorrow. Pictures are also being uploaded to the webcast.
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