Solo and tandem racers in the RAAM qualifying races must be members of the Ultra Marathon Cycling Association.
How to join the UMCA.

Complete roster of riders who have qualified for RAAM.

Qualifying for the Race Across AMerica
Policy on Qualifying for RAAM approved by the UMCA's Board of Directors, March 1, 2004.

Who must qualify for RAAM
Solo racers — must meet the qualifying standards (below) to race in RAAM.

Tandem bicycle racers — must meet the qualifying standards (below) to race in RAAM.

Relay team racers do not have to qualify in order to race in RAAM.

Divisions for Qualifying
To qualify for RAAM riders compete in divisions based on the following:

Gender	Male	Female
Age	18-49	50-59	60-69	70 and up
Bike Type	Solo including single speed & fixed gear	Recumbent	HPV	Tandem

Racing age is determined by birth year; i.e., everyone born in 1958 races as a 50-year old in 2008.

If a racer is an official finisher of solo Race Across AMerica or tandem RAAM, then the racer is qualified for RAAM for life.

Tinker Juarez racing in the Heart of the South 500. Photo by Bryan Hallman

RAAM e-mail list:   Sign-up for the RAAM e-mail list.

Insider's Guides:   Expert advice from veteran ultra racers on how to race each RAAM qualifier.

Crewing:   "Crewing with Fuzzy" hands-on advice from Lee Mitchell. A good crew is essential to a successful ultra race!

Qualifying Races
The UMCA sanctions three types of RAAM qualifiers.

1) RAAM-style
The regional qualifying bicycle races are non-drafting ultra races.

United States
	Race Across Oregon	July	A 538-mile mountainous loop from Portland to Mt. Hood.
	Fireweed 400	July	A 400-mile mountainous out & back ride in Alaska.
	Adirondack 540	September	540 miles and 30,000 feet of climbing in the Adirondacks.
	Hoodoo 500	September	500 mile loop in Utah.
	Tejas 500	September	A hilly 20 mile loop in Texas; support crew not required.
Europe:
	Race Around Slovenia	May	1,100 km in Slovenia
	Radmarathon	July	715 km in Switzerland

Qualifying standard
A rider must finish within the specified time based on the first rider in his/her division not currently qualified for RAAM. As noted above the divisions are based on bike type, gender and age. Racing age is determined by birth year; i.e., everyone born in 1958 races as a 50-year old in 2008.

		Men	Women
	18-49 years old	115%	115%
	50-59 years old	125%	125%
	60-69 years old	135%	135%

For example, Rider A finishes sixth overall in 35 hours. Rider A is not currently qualified to race in RAAM. Rider B, 55-year old man, must finish within 125% of Rider A's time, i.e., 43 hours 45 minutes. Rider C, a woman, wins the womens division in 30 hours. Rider C is not currently qualified for RAAM. Rider D, a 45-year old woman, must finish within 115% of the Rider C's time, i.e., or 34 hours 30 minutes.

2) 24-Hour Races
These are also non-drafting races. Support crews are not required; however, it is difficult to qualify without a support person to prepare and hand off food and water.

	Sebring 24-Hour	February	Florida
	Ultra Midwest 24-Hour	September	Iowa
	Desafio 24-Hour	November	Brazil

Qualifying Standard
Racing age is determined by birth year; i.e., everyone born in 1958 races as a 50-year old in 2008.

		Men	Women
	18-49 years old	425 miles	400 miles
	50-59	400 miles	375 miles
	60-69	375 miles	350 miles

3) Team RAAM
Offical finishers of 2-person and 4-person Team RAAM are qualified to race in Solo RAAM

Race Calendar Dates and organizational contacts for each event.

Other Qualifying Opportunities
In addition the UMCA recognizes other opportunities to qualify for RAAM:

4) 1200 km randonnées
1200 km randonnées sanctioned by the Randonneurs Mondiaux (RM) or Audax Club Parisien (ACP) are drafting events with time limits, rather than non-drafting races. As such, they are neither sanctioned by nor supported by the UMCA. However, a 1200 km randonnée is a significant test of a rider's fitness and a rider may use an RM/ACP-sanctioned 1200 km to qualify for RAAM under the following conditions:

1. the rider is a current, annual member of the UMCA, and
2. before the 1200 km the rider informs the UMCA Chair for RAAM Qualifying   raam-qualifying @ ultracycling.com that the rider intends to use the 1200 km to attempt to qualify for RAAM, and
3. the rider meets the qualifying standard for a division:

Qualifying Standard
		Men	Women
	18-49 years old	under 65 hrs	under 70 hrs
	50-59	under 70 hrs	under 75 hrs
	60-69	under 75 hrs	under 80 hrs

5) British 24-Hour Championship
Although not sanctioned by nor supported by the UMCA, riders may use the British 24-Hour to qualify for RAAM under the following conditions:

1. the rider is a current, annual member of the UMCA, and
2. before the 1200 km the rider informs UMCA Chair for RAAM Qualifying   raam-qualifying @ ultracycling.com that the rider intends to use the 24-hour to attempt to qualify for RAAM, and
3. the rider meets the qualifying standard for a division:

British 24-Hour

July

Qualifying Standard

		Men	Women
	18-49 years old	425 miles	400 miles
	50-59	400 miles	375 miles
	60-69	375 miles	350 miles

6) Individual time trial
If a rider lives on a continent with no RAAM qualifier, then the rider may attempt to qualify in an individual 24-hour time trial officiated by the rider's national cycling federation. The rider must meet the following conditions:

1. the rider is a current, annual member of the UMCA, and
2. before the 24-hour time trial the rider informs the UMCA Chair for RAAM Qualifying   raam-qualifying @ ultracycling.com that the rider intends to use a 24-hour time trial to attempt to qualify for RAAM, and
3. the rider meets the qualifying standard (above) for a division.

7) Invitation of the RAAM director
Based on a rider's cycling resume, the RAAM director may issue an invitation to compete in RAAM. The rider's resume must include cyling race results in the last three years, results which are significantly better than riders who qualify in RAAM qualifiers.

Race Calendar   Dates and organizational contacts for each event.

Questions? E-mail Sandy Whittlesey, UMCA Chair for RAAM Qualifying   the UMCA Chair for RAAM Qualifying   raam-qualifying @ ultracycling.com

Download Policy on Qualifying for RAAM.
Download Policy on Sanctioning RAAM Qualifiers.

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