The Race Across America is a huge undertaking. Even if the race itself wasn't hard enough, logistical and financial concerns will prevent most people from ever being able to get to the start line. It's no wonder that it's often compared to attempting to summit Mount Everest. For 2009, we had a typical field of 28 solo entrants, including myself and 8 other Americans. Despite the impressive resumes of all the athletes and the huge amount of training involved, the finish rate has hovered at 53% since the race started in 1982. This year was no exception with 15 finishers (53.6%). Despite some early difficulties in the desert, I can now say that I'm lucky enough to be counted amongst those that have finished the Race Across America.
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3,021 miles
10 days 17 hours 3 minutes
5th solo finisher
2nd American finisher
2nd rookie finisher
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The Team: Mike Miller, Chuck Garwood, Troy Willard, Tim Bol, Gary Carter, Chris Kaiser, David Bundrick, Phil Cohen.
I had a fantastic team this year. After convincing me not to quit when I'd fallen behind the minimum speed in the desert, the team rallied behind me and made sure that I didn't waste a minute while I was off the bike. My crew deserves all the credit for getting this average cyclist to a 5th placed RAAM finish.
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I was hoping to raise funds this year for both a charity and my RAAM related expenses. However, the race quickly approached and I still didn't have a charity lined up. Instead, I decided to focus my attention on the task at hand and save charitable ventures for some future time. I want to thank everyone who contributed to my RAAM related expenses for this year (it made a huge difference).
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| Send checks to: Kevin Kaiser
1223 Hardy Pointe Dr.
Evans, GA 30809
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