Team Rotary RAAMs Polio raises ONE MILLION for PolioPlus in “Race Across America”

Thanks to Bob McKenzie, FCS member from Tulsa. Bob, Ruth Brandstaetter, Kurt Matzler (RC Innsbruck), Markus Mayr (RC Lienz, have achieved this incredible feat of riding  4800kms in less than 7 days … but especially to raise a million dollars in their epic for the Polioplus program.

Let Bob talk (thanks to USA/CAN Cycling To Serve July Newsletter)

“Race Across America is one of the 25 toughest sporting events in the world.  However, it is nowhere near as tough as living with Polio!!!”
“When we arrive in Oceanside, CA, our RAAM team kept saying that we should take a year or two off, but by the time we get to Annapolis, MD, we are ready to sign up again because of the tremendous response we receive! This year we not only exceeded o goal of ONE MILLION dollars for PolioPlus we were greeted several times along the race route.  James Morrison, president of “Cycling to Serve” in the USA, drove from Albuquerque, NM to meet us in Durango, CO as we passed through.  We only got to spend a few minutes with him….but what an encouragement he was to us!!   We were also met by the Rotary clubs of Iola, KS, Columbus, IN and by the clubs in Annapolis, MD who presented us a check for PolioPlus at the finish line.
I started “Team Rotary RAAMs Polio” to try to emulate the success of “Ride to End Polio”!  In a sense, to take a “second” bite of the apple!! I had thought it would be an event for my district #6110.   However, it quickly got out of hand and has spread across America, Europe, and around the world.  This year three of our racers and nine of our crew were from Europe.

A few things that happened this year:

1. Hit by a sand storm in CA.
2. Each racer had a flat tire.
3. One rental van broke down in Effingham, IL stranding ¼ of our crew for twenty four hours. They had to get a new vehicle and drive 400 miles to catch up to the team.
4. Bob’s front brake fell off….somewhere!
5. Rain in the Appalachians.
6. We finished 1^stPlace in our division and 8^thamong four man teams.
7. We had our best time ever finishing in 6 days, 18 hours, and 4 minutes….almost seven hours ahead of last year.
8. Got to meet many Rotarians across the USA!!

9. BEST OF ALL WE MET OUR GOAL OF ‘ONE MILLION” DOLLARS FOR POLIOPLUS!!!!

We would love to have YOU join us in 2019 as an Ambassador for our team. Contact me for details at rlyonm@gmail.com. »