Race Across America? - Spokes Magazine

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Race Across America? by NEIL SANDLER “Sure, why not...” Become a walk-on member of the University of Maryland’s football team Climb Mt. Kilimanjaro Complete a 24-Hour Mountain Bike Race Run marathons ✓ ✓ Swim the 4.4 mile Chesapeake Bay Race sail boats in the Bay every Wednesday after work Finish tortuous 48 hour team adventure races Become an accomplished rock climber and white water kayaker Complete numerous triathlons, both road and off-road Coach son’s lacrosse team to county finals ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Race your bike across America HUM, okay! KEN SHUART OF GALESVILLE, MARYLAND, is part of a four person team training to race their bicycles across America this June. For Shuart, it’s no big deal, just another one of the many life challenges he intends to add to his resume next month. “Yes, since December we’ve upped the amount of miles we ride significantly,” Shuart told SPOKES. That’s part of ramping up for the legendary Race Across America (RAAM), which begins June 11 on a pier that juts out into the Pacific Ocean in Oceanside, California, and ends 3008 miles away, for the first time ever, on the Annapolis, Md., waterfront, just a short ride from Shuart’s home. “But I was in pretty good shape before the specific training kicked in, so it’s not that big of a deal,” the 48-year-old systems analyst added. This from a guy who decided to try a triathlon even though he wasn’t much of a swimmer. “But by the time I’d completed a half ironman, I figured I could already swim two and a half miles, so I might as well do the Chesapeake Bay swim. It was only another two miles longer...’ he says almost matter-of-factly. Much of Shuart’s athletic endeavors seem to occur that way, they just seem to roll from one into another. Growing up in Severna Park, Md., just north of Annapolis, Shuart played lacrosse and football at Severna Park High. Studying finance and economics at the University of Maryland in College Park, in 1978 he tried out for the University of Maryland team in College Park and made the squad as a safety. Although he’s never been a bike tourist or racer, he always used bike riding and running as core fitness training for the many sports he participated in over the years. Always one to enjoy new challenges Shuart followed in his wife Jody’s footsteps. She completed the Marine Corps Marathon twice, and Shuart did his first with her in 1999. Having gone through all the training for that marathon, Shuart didn’t want to lose his fitness, so joined up with some friends who’d gotten into adventure sports like rock climbing, kayaking and mountain biking. Shuart competed in and completed his first 24 hour adventure race in 2001 and was hooked by the sport. “Basically, they give you a map and a compass and provide a series of checkpoints along the way. In that event all four teammates had to remain within 100 feet of each other at all times.” This included while in boats, rock climbing, biking. “You never knew what was coming up next. You’d ride your bikes, arrive at Ken Shuart (right) with RAAM teammate Steve Laurenson. a river, break the bikes down, load them into canoes, paddle 20 miles, remount the bikes, then do a rope course or whatever they had in store for us.” His team also has done 48 hour adventure races. On- road and off-road triathlons seemed a likely way to remain in shape over the year. Over the past few years, he’s found that he gets into shape for upcoming events by early May and remains in shape throughout the year. Along the way he’s added other accomplishments. In 2003 he climbed 14,000 foot Mt. Rainier in Washington State. In 2005, he did his first half ironman triathlon, as well as the 4.4 mile Bay swim, and the 24 Hours of Moab mountain bike relay. In 2007, he climbed the nearly 20,000 foot Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa. But his idea of putting together a team relay to compete in this year’s RAAM had much different motives. “My family has had numerous run ins with skin cancer. A lot of it was the result of our childhoods in which we were constantly on the beach, out in the bay sailing, or just playing ball outdoors,” Shuart explained. “Between me, my two older sisters, younger brother and parents we’ve probably had 25 or 30 visits for one form of basal cell (skin disease) procedure or another.” Three events last summer, caused Shuart to become an activist in the battle against skin cancer. The first incident occurred when one of his sisters went in for a routine examination last year and ended up having basal cells (not cancerous) removed. A couple of weeks later, Shuart went in and ended up with a somewhat more invasive procedure to remove basal cells. The third event was a combination of Shuart hearing about the RAAM team relay, and subsequent- 6 May 2008
Shuart (left) with RAAM teammates Jody Bennett, Stuart Levy and Steve Laurenson. ly hearing that for the first time RAAM would finish in Annapolis. “It just seemed that someone was sending me a message to do this.” “This” being to form a team and enter the four person team category. On his team are some of his adventure racing buddies Steve Laurenson and Stuart Levy of northern Virginia, and Jody Bennett of Washington, D.C. The team is being coached by long time area long distance cyclist Josh Simonds. Of the four, Levy has the most cycling experience. He is a Category 3 road racer and has completed three PAC (Pacific to Atlantic competitions), the 750 mile Paris-Brest-Paris randonee, and five Death Valley double centuries. This past April he went to Arizona to train by riding 100 miles a day for two weeks. Before coach Simonds took over, Shuart had a varied training program which includes three bike rides a week (for a total of about 100 miles). After Simonds took over, they ride at least five days a week with double workout on some days. Mondays consist of core workouts with free weights, Tuesdays and Wednesdays include a variety of 90 mile bike workouts (including intervals, hill repetitions, etc.), Thursdays include weight training and a ride, Fridays are off days, followed by long rides on both Saturdays and Sundays (110 miles on Saturday, 85 on Sunday, during the month of April). For RAAM, the four person team will split into pairs, each pair responsible for six hours of riding. The way they’ve planning it, each of the two riders on a pair will ride for one hour. After rotating riding responsi- WHEELNUTS BIKESHOP Get ready for Summer. Our staff can help you pick just the right bike for YOU! NEW BIKES NEED STUFF! with this coupon Buy any adult bike and get a $50 Wheel Nuts Gift Card! Buy any kids bike and get a $25 Wheel Nuts Gift Card! Offer valid thru May 31, 2008 SAVE $20 with this coupon Take $20 off our Precision Tune Up Package (Reg. $85, Now $65). Offer valid thru May 31, 2008 703-548-5116 302 Montgomery Street, Alexandria, VA 22314 Monday-Friday 11am - 7pm Saturday 9am - 6pm Sunday 10am - 5pm VIEW OUR LINES: www.jamisbikes.com • www.diamondback.com • www.dahon.com RACE continued on p.8 May 2008 7
Page 1 and 2: Serving Cyclists in the Mid-Atlanti
Page 3 and 4: ON COVER THE Having completed many
Page 5: The American Diabetes Association p
Page 9 and 10: ANNAPOLIS MAYOR ENVISIONS BIKE FRIE
Page 11 and 12: COMMUTER CONNECTION by RON CASSIE r
Page 13 and 14: Arlington County Board member Chris
Page 15 and 16: ARLINGTON TO HOST TWO PRO BIKE RACE
Page 17 and 18: THE CYCLIST'S KITCHEN by NANCY CLAR
Page 19 and 20: friendly greeting or bell is consid
Page 21 and 22: manage my travel, training, and wor
Page 23 and 24: COLUMNS SPOKESWOMEN by ANNE MADER
Page 25 and 26: At press time we are rapidly approa
Page 27 and 28: CALENDAR OF EVENTS Griffin Cycle 49
Page 30 and 31: CALENDAR continued from p.28 JUNE 7

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