Riding The Race Across America for Autism

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Sandpoint, Idaho, United States of America (Free-Press-Release.com) May 31, 2011 -- Craft beer, the Race Across America, and autism; at first glance you would say they have nothing in common, but you would be wrong. What unites them is Team Laughing Dog Brewing, a four-man cycling team from Sandpoint, Idaho. Their mission is to compete in the 2011 Race Across America while raising awareness and funds for autism organizations throughout the Pacific Northwest.

The team’s title sponsor, Laughing Dog Brewery, is a five-year-old microbrewery based in Sandpoint, which has been winning the hearts of craft beer drinkers all over the country. The company has become famous for its great brews and its signature label that features a picture of Ben, the owner’s yellow Labrador.

In its 30th year, Race Across America (RAAM) is the longest running and one of the most respected endurance events in the world. Raced between Oceanside Calif., and Annapolis, Md., it covers 3,000 miles, climbs over 170,000 vertical feet, and goes through 12 states. To put it into perspective, it is 30% longer than the Tour de France (TdF), and contrary to stage races where riders rest at the end of each day, RAAM runs non-stop 24/7. More like an extra long time trial, teams must complete the full distance within nine days, while solo riders have 12 days to do so, half the time pro racers take to complete the TdF. This is why it is one of the pinnacles of sporting accomplishment, is globally seen as the highest rung on the endurance sports ladder and stands as a monument to human endeavors.

The third component of the equation involves autism. The Autism Society defines it as “a complex developmental disability that typically appears during the first three years of life and affects a person’s ability to communicate and interact with others.” Known as a “spectrum disorder,” it ranges from mild to severe and impacts people differently. Currently 1 in every 110 births is diagnosed with autism, boys being the most affected, and it is the fastest growing disability in America. Of the estimated 1.5-million people in the U.S. contending with autism, 80% are under the age of 20 and there is no known single cause for it, although it is generally believed to have roots in abnormalities in the brain structure or its functions.

Living with autism can be hard. From diagnosis through adolescence and into the adult years, there are incredible challenges such as finding knowledgeable medical and dental care, insurance coverage, schooling, or even finding a sitter for a parent’s night out — it can wear on a typical family. Living and dealing with autism can be a 24/7 challenge, just like the effort it will take to complete RAAM, but unlike the race, where riders get to cross a finish line and move on, autism offers a lifetime of challenges.

Jackson Barth, a 12-year-old child from Sandpoint, has autism and in spite of his challenges, he brings happiness to all around him. Jackson is the inspiration for our participation in the ride and his dad, David, is a member of Team Laughing Dog’s support crew. The team’s goal, apart from completing the event, is to raise $1 million for local autism organizations such as Autism Societies of Oregon, Washington and Idaho, and the Northwest Autism Center that help families living with the disorder.

So, how does someone decide to enter such an event and what exactly does it take to get ready for it besides thousands of hours of preparation and training?

It all began as an idle thought I had somewhere on a long steep climb in the Rocky Mountains in 2008 during a 10,000-mile solo cross-country bicycle trip. When you ride thousands of miles on a bicycle by yourself, you have lots of time to reflect, think of your next adventure, and dream the ‘impossible dream’ like riding from Alaska to Patagonia, cycling around the world, and competing in the Race Across America (RAAM).

Fast-forward to July 2009: the idea resurfaced during a weeklong self-supported tour with three great friends. During a photo opportunity in Yellowstone National Park, two of us ran into [came across] a parked car with a RAAM bumper sticker, luck would have us meet the driver who asked us where we were heading, which lead me to ask about the sticker. Turns out the driver had been a RAAM competitor on a four-person team a couple of years prior and had also entered the event solo without being able to complete it. Following that encounter, I couldn’t stop thinking about RAAM and two days later, around a campfire in the Grand Tetons of Wyoming after way too many beers ... the three of us agreed that we would enter RAAM as a four-person team in two years. Although I wasn’t sure anyone of us would remember the night’s events, and actually be serious about it, the dream turned into reality and the prepara

autism awareness     autism fundraising     bicycle racing     Endurance Sports     Laughing Dog Brewing     National Autism Association     race across america     Team Laughing Dog