Time Station Sponsors

We want to fill all 55 spots with sponsors! RAAM has 55 time stations that are spaced about 40 to 90 miles apart across the 3000-mile course. Regular time stations can be sponsored for $100, while the start, finish, and midway point are available for $500. If we reach this goal, we will raise nearly $7,000 for the CKG Foundation and Andy’s race expenses.

Sponsors will be recognized on social media at each milestone and key sponsors will be given extra exposure during the race. This is a great opportunity for small businesses, families and individuals to speak up and fight the stigma against depression and anxiety as we take Cameron's message coast to coast. All donations are 100% tax deductible!

If you wish to become a sponsor of one of the time stations you can register here. 

       Start, Midway and Finish Time Stations $500                  Time Station Sponsor $100

What's next?

What is the million dollar question? Depending on who is being asked the question could be anything from "What is Angelina going to name her baby?" to "Does North Korea have the nerve to actually aim a rocket at another country?" The question asked the most of me is simply "What is next?" What grand torture plan do I have for my body this year?

Over the last few weeks, it has been really hard for me to not spill the beans until things fell into place. I didn't want to say I was going to be doing what was in the works until I knew that nothing was going to stop me from accomplishing my goal. I can now officially announce that I will be traveling to Alpine, TX to take part in the No Country for Old Men 1000 mile race (NCOM).

The NCOM 1000 mile is taking place in October this year and will have a time limit of 96 hours to complete. It is also the longest race in North America that is not Race Across America (RAAM). I am going to be using this as the last stepping stone before throwing my hat into the ring for solo RAAM.

Due to the length of the race, it proves to be not only a test of my own body, but an excellent opportunity for the crew to iron out any wrinkles prior to RAAM. The crew will be operating as two shifts, day and night to keep me riding no less than 21 or 22 hours a day until we reach the finish line. Because of this, we will be doing some fundraisers throughout the year to be able to offset the expenses of having two full crews traveling across the country.

The inspiration I gain from each of you is what keeps me going through the long training rides and on race days. I wish I could take each and every one of you along for the journey but unfortunately, I cannot. I've setup an online market which will allow you to become a Virtual Member of the crew and therefore allow me to have a small part of you there with us.

By visiting https://squareup.com/market/andywelch-dot-net, you can choose how you would like to support my insanity. As a thank you, I will send you an exclusive #NothingToItButToDoIt t-shirt. The crew and I are forever grateful for all your support in getting us to the starting line in October.

Finally, I would like to thank all the coaches at Endorphin Fitness, Tina at Lighten Up! and my fairy god mother for their continued hard work in helping me achieve all my goals and dreams.

Minnesota 400 Recap

I never did get around to writing a race recap from the RAAM Challenge Minnesota 400. If I had written one the outline for the recap would have looked something like this
Before the start of the race

• "I can't stop shivering. Why is it so cold?"
• "Can I have some Aleve? I feel like I've been hit by a truck"
• "Can I have your thermal jacket?"

The remainder of the race

• "Can I have some Aleve?"
• "I'm so cold"
• "I hate expansion joints"
• "Can I have some Aleve?"
• "Dane, why did you just drive into the side of that building? There was a perfectly good drawbridge to cross."
• "Can I have some Aleve?"
• "Was that a raccoon?"
• "Watch out for alligators"
• "Can I have some Aleve"

The longer the race went on, the more frequently I was asking for it as the fever continued to wear on me. Thankfully for my internal organs, the crew followed Bayer's recommended usage guidelines for Aleve. I am also thankful my sister put together this video recap of the race so I don't actually have to write it.

Will I have a crew?

With my plans growing more and more advantageous each year, the art of planning and logistics has been the hardest hurdle to overcome. I started planning for the 2013 season back during the holidays of 2012. Many questions come up during the planning stage. Which races will I do? Who will be available to crew these races? These were two biggest questions I had to answer.

Unfortunately, I knew that one of the races I wanted to do would mean I would need to find a few new members to crew for me as my parents would not be able to travel with me to Minnesota in August. Jenn's father and mother in-law volunteered to go in their place.

Planning early has many advantages, one of which is the great sense of relief you feel once a plan has been laid into place. That is until life gets in the way and plans are forced to adapt. With my fitness at an all time high, I was starting to worry whether I would make it to Minnesota with a full crew when unforseen work obligations would keep Ken and Elizabeth from being able to travel. That was until, one day while at work I was granted one of the most selfless gifts ever. Dane (aka Thin Mint) came into the shop and told me that he and Lindsey (aka L to the B soon to be K) were going to defer their race enteries for the same weekend in order to come help me out.

A few weeks ago during the prerace press conference for this year's Race Across America, Marko Baloh stated "It's kinda strange to think of 9 people working hard for me to have fun." More perfect words couldn't have been choosen in describing a racers gratitude towards their crews.

With that being said, I'm excited to introduce everyone to the newest edition of my support crew.

My best friend and wife, Jenn will be returning to the crew vehicle after declaring it was easier in the car than being back at home.

My sister Becky will be back after making her debut in Texas.

Thin Mint and L to the B Soon to be K (Dane and Lindsey)