Race Across America

A MESSAGE TO THE RACE ACROSS AMERICA (RAAM) COMMUNITY

After careful consideration, we have decided to pause Race Across America — including RAAM, RAW and RAE — for the 2027 calendar year, along with our other events: the 2026 and 2027 editions of The 508, and the 2027 editions of the Longhorn 500 and Stampede 200.

RAAM has more than 40 years of history and has welcomed racers from around the world. We believe this is the right time to pause and undertake a thorough review of our events — from the races themselves and their formats to the overall participant experience — and to explore how they can evolve for the future.

Our goal is not simply to bring new racers into RAAM and our other events, but to create experiences that encourage them to return and help ultra-cycling continue to grow over the long term.

We believe it is important to take the time needed to determine the right long-term path rather than create expectations around a 2027 calendar before that work has been completed.

Our intention is to use this period to determine the best path forward for RAAM and our other events, with the clear ambition of bringing RAAM back in an improved form, delivering an event and experience worthy of its reputation as “the world’s toughest bicycle race.” The timing and form of that return will depend on the outcome of this review and on establishing a clear, sustainable model that preserves the legacy of RAAM while creating a strong platform for its future.

We know how much these events mean to the racers, support crews, volunteers, partners and host communities who are the soul and strength of RAAM. It is precisely because this community and legacy deserve to be preserved and honored that we believe taking the time to do this properly is the right approach.

We are deeply grateful for your loyalty and passion, which remain at the heart of every decision we make.

Further updates will be shared as this work progresses.

Fred Boethling (President & CEO)
Rick Boethling (VP & Executive Director)

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY! We hope everyone has a happy, healthy 4th of July weekend! Tailwinds

THANK YOU ATLANTIC CITY

As we close the books on this year's Race Across America, we wish to extend our thanks for the City of Atlantic City for hosting the RAAM and RAE finish line at Kennedy Plaza on the boardwalk, and to Visit Atlantic City and the Atlantic City Sports Commission for their generous support.

Summer is not over. If you are in the area, be sure to check out all the happenings and events in Atlantic City at https://www.visitatlanticcity.com/things-to-do/

FIRST EVER DANISH SOLO WOMAN FINISHES
June 29, 2026
Atlantic City, NJ

Last year, Pernille Kinnunen and Mikkel Justesen completed two-person RAAM, and Pernille thought that she would never do solo RAAM. But as with many endurance sports, she started to wonder if maybe she could. She let the thought marinate for four months, and she signed up.

Her race was steady, but there was uncertainty at points along the way as fatigue and weather and some late stage mechanical issues popped up. Supporters from all over sent messages in a Facebook group dedicated to following her race. Pernille kept pedaling. Even when she broke the rear wheel of her climbing bike in the Appalachians, she kept pedaling, saying, “Well, I just have to keep going.”

She wasn’t plagued by pain in any of the normal places, hands, feet, bum, the contact points with the bike, and her neck stayed strong. Despite her 60 years, her body held up better under the stress of RAAM than some men half her age.

It took her 12 Days 21 Hours 18 Minutes at an average speed of 9.92 mph, and she became the first Danish woman to complete solo RAAM!

SUBTRACTION PAYS OFF FOR TEAM ZOE
June 29, 2026
Atlantic City, NJ

TEAM Zoe T200 arrived in the dark at Kennedy Plaza here in Atlantic City this early morning after a 3,000 + mile journey across the country from Oceanside, CA.

Team Zoe usually fields an eight-person RAAM team every other year, and this year, they did a little subtraction and decided to try a two person team in their usually off year. Eight minus six doesn’t seem like a big math problem, but it’s exponential when it comes to team RAAM! The lack of sleep compounds as the miles each racer has to complete pile up. They said from the stage that they usually do an Ironman in their off year from RAAM, but decided that if they did two-person RAAM instead, that they wouldn’t have to swim for a year. Boy, triathletes really love to hate on swimming!

They came out of Oceanside fast, chasing eight-person teams like they’re used to, and quickly figured out that they’d made a mistake. They adjusted and persevered though. They got hit with the most adverse weather than any other team, riding much of the Midwest in rain. They persevered. For 8 Days 13 Hours 47 Minutes, they persevered. Their average speed was 14.91 mph.

In the process they were live-streaming their race and raising money for Zoe International to fight child trafficking.

ZOE International

SECOND FINISHER PARTY IN PROGRESS
Ducktown Tavern
3-6

Come celebrate with your crew!

JEFF KOONTZ 2ND IN MEN’S SOLO 50-59
June 28, 2026
Atlantic City, NJ

Jeff Koontz qualified for RAAM racing in the 24 hour event at the 6-12-24 Hour World Time Trial Championships by riding 402 miles in 24 hours. With the confidence of a qualified novice, he signed up for Solo RAAM.

He did from the stage that he underestimated the difficulty of RAAM ten-fold. He said he thought it would be like returning a ring to a jewelry store, but it turned out to be like taking the one ring to Mt. Doom. But like Frodo Baggins, Jeff did it!

There were moments that his half Brazilian half American crew from 7sherpas thought the race was over. His crew chief, Chris Kittler, said that he had an algorithm he could use to run the numbers on Jeff’s pace versus the time he had left to the cutoff, and in the final day of racing, he watched the numbers change. The algorithm went from showing red to orange to yellow to green, and Jeff found a well of strength and will to push through the final miles in just enough time.

Jeff completed his crossing in 11 Days 21 Hours 28 Minutes with an average speed of 10.75 mph, which also clinched second place in the solo men’s 50-59 category.