Pattinson Finishes ‘Race Across America’ in Second Place

Westport resident and racing cyclist Mark Pattinson reportedly finished the grueling 3,000-mile “Race Across America” (RAAM) competition, “one the most respected and longest running endurance sports events in the world,” in second place for the second time on Friday, June 24.

According to Race Across America’s website, Pattinson, 41, finished the 2,989.5-mile cross-continental race — this year starting at Oceanside Pier in Oceanside, Calif. and ending at City Dock in Annapolis, Md.  — in nine days, 41 minutes. He came in second behind Austrian ultra marathon cyclist Christoph Strasser, who finished the race in an astonishing 8 days, 8 hours and 6 minutes. Both men competed in the Male Solo (Under 50) category.

Billed as the “World's Toughest Bicycle Race,” cyclists who “compete” in the UMCA-sanctioned event (there is no prize money) go practically non-stop, with very little sleep (Pattinson averaged only three hours per night) or food, and barely time for bathroom breaks.

“RAAM is the true test of speed, endurance, strength and camaraderie, the ideal combination of work and fun,” the RAAM website states. “There is no race that matches the distance, terrain and weather — no other event that tests a team’s spirit from beginning to end.”

Pattinson also came in second place in the 2008 RAAM event — where he also won “Rookie of the Year.”

“In 2008 I surprised myself with my result, however my neck issues in 2010 taught me not to take anything for granted in my preparation,” he writes in his profile on the RAAM site, referring to “Shermer’s Neck,” a painful condition that afflicts many ultra-cyclists which makes it difficult to keep their head up.

Pattinson, who has been cycling since the mid-1990s, first started competing in 2006. He reportedly came in first place in the Music City Double in 2006; second place in the Heart of South 500 (the RAAM qualification race) in 2006; first place in the Tejas 500 in 2006; second place in the Heart of South 500 in 2008; and second place in the Race Around Ireland in 2009.

He said in his profile that what intimidates him most about RAAM are “the different weather possibilities -- heat, wind and cold.”

“In looking forward I want to have the best race I can possibly do,” he wrote. “The elusive ‘perfect race.’ Continue to make more friends in the sport and enjoy the experience with my crew.”

It appears he achieved just that: In an article posted to the “RAAM Media1” blog on Friday, he was quoted as saying “It was as good a race as I can run. I’m not the fastest guy, but we ran the best race we had. We made a plan and we stuck to it.”

Because of the distances involved, the week long RAAM event is sometimes compared to the Tour de France, however the events differ in a number of ways. For example the 3,000-mile RAAM, which began in 1982 as the “Great American Bike Race,” is a true transcontinental bike race, always starting on the west coast and finishing on the east coast, whereas the Tour de France is about 2,300 miles long and features a different route each year. In addition the Tour de France is run over the course of about three weeks because it is divided into shorter daily stages, whereas the RAAM is run over the course of a week, and thus requires cyclists to ride for periods of more than 18 hours per day.

The RAAM event concluded today, June 27, with the last cyclist, Geoff Brunner, crossing the finish line.