Two Hundred Twenty

Jeff Stephens, VP of Sales and Marketing for RAAM, is arranging interviews with riders and their teams. Below are some questions he would like to discuss and my pre-meeting responses.

Q. Do you expect to ride a fixie the entire way?

A. Not this year! In general, I think people over-estimate how difficult it is to finish ultra-marathon races or rides on a fixed gear. However, the fixed gear does slow you down, especially on descents. Finishing RAAM within the time limits is very challenging, and I'm an average athlete. So I'm going to coast, and I'll probably use two or three different gears.

Q. What motivated you to attempt RAAM? What prompted you to commit?

A. RAAM is a natural evolution for me. I started running 5K and 10K races in high school. Then I progressed to the marathon. A few years ago I finished my first Ironman triathlon. Then I heard about the fixed gear division at The 508 and got involved with ultra-marathon cycling. After finishing a few ultras I started to think that RAAM might be possible after all. Then I qualified, almost by accident, at RAO last year. It really wasn't a question of whether to commit. It was more like, How could I not commit? The attraction was too great to resist.

Q. How long have you known about RAAM?

A. I first heard about the race back in the 80's. My brother and I liked to follow sports. We spent a lot of time reading the Guinness Book of World Records. I've always liked to speculate about what sports or activities are the hardest. So naturally, RAAM caught my attention.

Q. Your support charity?

A. I don't have a support charity per se. This is something that I thought about quite a bit. It seems like raising money for charities has become a popular thing to do. That's not a bad thing, but it's just not something that motivates me. It probably has something to do with the fact that I'm rather introverted, and I've never really felt comfortable selling things or trying to raise money. I'd rather think about how I can spend my own time and money in meaningful ways. And I'd like to encourage other people to do the same. The Causes section of my website summarizes some of my thinking and highlights a few organizations that I personally support, either with my own money or time.

Q. More about your partners & supporters.

A. I'm amazed by how generous people can be. So many people have really stepped up to help me achieve my goals. It's very humbling, and motivates me to think about what I can do to make a difference in other people's lives.

My family has provided a tremendous amount of support. My dad and brother have crewed for me. So have my wife and kids, who also put up with all my riding. It takes a considerable amount of time to train for these long races. I'm hoping that a new tandem will help us spend more of that time together.

Several good friends of mine have crewed for me in the past: Alex Bringas, Ed Schaefer, Joe Pope, Matthew Rider. Alex and Matthew work out with me a lot too.

For RAAM, Mike Jacob will be my crew chief. We didn't even know each other until a few months ago. An article in Ultracycling about an Indiana record mentioned Mike's name:

The official was Mike Jacob, professor at Purdue and an extraordinarily accomplished long distance cyclist himself. Among many long rides, he completed a self-contained 5,400-mile tour in 56 days.

Since I grew up in Indiana and went to Purdue, I thought Mike might be interested in my attempt at finishing RAAM. So I looked up his email address on Purdue's website, sent him a note, and the next thing I knew he was committed to be my crew chief. I couldn't believe it. Mike recruited his son, Adam, and Andres Carrillo, a student at Purdue, to join the crew.

Robert Johnson is another person I didn't really know that well before I signed up for RAAM. We sort of knew each other because he was the crew chief for a team of recumbents that raced in RAO both years that I did. We also bumped into each other a few times at 'cross races, and at the Terra Cycle shop where Robert works. (Terra Cycle shares space in the same building where one of my RAAM bikes is being built.) Anyway, Robert joined our team a few weeks ago and is blowing me away with all his energy, experience, and hard work. He got Dinotte Lighting to sponsor me, and is hard at work on some more leads. I'm excited about the Dinotte Lights, by the way. I haven't used them yet, but Robert showed them to me. They are SUPER bright and appear to be designed very well.

Mike, Robert, and the rest of the crew are taking care of EVERYTHING. There's practically nothing left for me to do but eat, sleep, ride, and spend time with my family. I feel sort of guilty, but it's awesome!

George and Terry, race directors for Race Across Oregon deserve special mention for their encouragement and advice. But more importantly, they made me feel so welcome at RAO. They'll be in my thoughts a lot during RAAM.

Dave and Paula Harkin are two more very special people. Paula owns Portland Running Company and organizes the best running races in Portland. I got to know Dave and Paula though some volunteer work that the Ironheads triathlon team was doing for the Helvetia Half Marathon. (That's also where I met Greg Pressler, who has been one of the announcers at the RAAM finish line.) One thing led to another and pretty soon I was certifying several of Paula's race courses. Paula is one of the most up-beat, enthusiastic people I know. She didn't hesitate a second to write me a very generous check to help with my RAAM expenses. In fact, she asked me if Portland Running Company could be one of my RAAM sponsors.

Bill and Joshua at Cycle Path have been long-time supporters of the Ironheads triathlon team. Same goes for the folks at Hammer Nutrition, especially Steve Born. I was one of the original members of the Ironheads team, and although my focus is mainly on RAAM, both Cycle Path and Hammer are continuing to support me as an individual this year. I thoroughly enjoy the personal relationships I have with people at both companies, not to mention their excellent products and service.

Mike Flynn, Melissa Markofski, and Andres Carrillo arranged the terrific experience I had at Purdue's Exercise Physiology lab this past weekend. Mike is in charge of the lab. Andres is committed to crewing for the whole race, and with some luck, we might snag Melissa too - she was such a fun person to hang out with.

Ira Ryan and Sacha White, two local frame builders, are building the bikes I'll be riding at RAAM. Ira crewed for Ricky Martin at last year's RAO and we shared a table at the post race banquet. I've been waiting for a long time for a bike from Sacha. We've tossed around several ideas. RAAM seems to have been the motivation that we needed to finally make some decisions and get moving on an actual bike. Needless to say, I'm thrilled about the prospect of two new hand made bikes. They are investments that should last a very long time and prove well worth the money. Ben and Scott, two top-notch mechanics that work with Sacha will be helping to make sure the bikes are in perfect condition before the race.

Just today Mike gave me some great news about support that I'll be getting from the Purdue Alumni Association. They plan to include an article about the race in the May-June Alumni magazine. They're going to tell people about the race so they can cheer for me along the way, especially in Oceanside, Kansas City, St. Louis, Indianapolis, and Atlantic City. They'll have the Boilermaker Special (the Purdue train engine) leading the way through Indiana. And they're putting together a support kit of Purdue stuff for the crew and the vans. Can you believe it?

There are many more people who have supported me in one way or another. But this gives you some feel for the incredible difference that people have made in my life. It's remarkable when you stop and think about how the sport of ultra-marathon cycling brings people together.