Since taking ownership of RAAM, the race has grown by 15% each year.
Denver, CO (PRWEB) February 12, 2015
Race Across America (RAAM), known as The World's Toughest Bicycle Race, has entered its 34th year and recently completed an economic impact study placing RAAM in the spotlight of endurance racing in America. One of the most prestigious races in the world, RAAM attracts racers from 35 countries, with roughly half the participants traveling from outside the United States and the impact is felt from coast to coast during the 3,000 mile race from Oceanside, California to Annapolis, Maryland.
In 2014, the direct economic impact from RAAM racers, support crews and race staff totaled $3.2 million* with total impact of $6.8 million. Local economies in Oceanside, CA, Durango, CO and Annapolis, MD benefitted substantially.
Last year’s race featured the largest solo field in the history of the race. Christoph Strasser from Austria, one of the best endurance cyclists of all time, captured his 3rd win and set a new record in the solo category. Strasser’s finish in Annapolis drew more viewers in his home country than World Cup Soccer and was followed in over 120 countries online. The value of this exposure was well over $6 million and the ad value well over $3 million.
Notable names in the team category included Pippa Middleton from the UK, David Zabriskie, Tour de France competitor, and Dave Mirra, the most decorated X Games athlete.
“Oceanside is proud to be the host city for the start of the Race Across of America. Not only is it one of the most inspiring endurance races in the world, it provides our community with a significant bump in visitor spending that week, generating over $3 million in revenue,” commented Leslee Gaul, CEO & President of Visit Oceanside.
Gaul added, “Our community embraces this storied event because we are in the spotlight for athletes and their families from all over the world. They are here for an extended period of time, enjoying our beautiful beaches, restaurants, retail shops and all the other amenities our Southern California beach community offers.”
Between 2008 and 2014 the direct economic impact, with increased racers and crew each year, totals $17.5 million with total impact nationwide of $37.4 million.
Fred Boethling, owner of RAAM since 2008, reflected on the last six years, “Since taking ownership of RAAM, the race has grown by 15% each year. With an increasing number of racers, support crews and race staff, the impact on the start and finish cities, as well as the communities along the route, is enormous.”
Every year over 1,000 racers and support crew members participate in RAAM. The race is an “open” race with both male and female participants ranging from 20 – 80 years old. They include professional athletes, Olympic medalists, media personalities, police, fire fighters and military - current and veterans, doctors, lawyers and university professors, royalty and ordinary folks, all doing something extraordinary.
RAAM has become an outstanding platform to raise money for charitable causes. Every year racers and their support crews raise collectively in excess of $1.5 million for a wide range of charitable causes. With an international race field and fans from around the world, RAAM provides a global stage to showcase racers’ talents and facilitate their efforts to raise money for their favorite charities.
During the 2014 race the website had 8,000,000 hits, 1,000,000 page views with 250,000 unique visitors. The Facebook reach was 4,000,000 and twitter reach 3,500,000. There were more than 420,000,000 print and on-line impressions and the race was seen on 950 TV stations around the world by more than 23,000,000 local viewers. Without a doubt RAAM has become the premiere event in endurance racing.
For more complete registration details visit http://www.raceacrossamerica.org.
*These numbers consider only the benefits accruing from the riders, support crews and event staff during the event. Further, they do not reflect the ongoing exposure resulting from RAAM’s year-round activities - speaking engagements, social media, websites, seminars, newsletters and event marketing. Finally, the numbers do not take into account the current and long-term activities of its participants – speaking engagements, TV appearances, social media, websites, articles, films and books. This added exposure is substantial.
More About RAAM
RAAM and SOUL EVENTS are world leaders in the sport of endurance bicycle racing. The team is responsible for the Race Across America (RAAM), the world’s premier ultra-endurance bicycle race, a 3000-mile coast-to-coast race across the USA, as well as the Race Across the West (RAW), an 860-mile race across the Western US, the RAAM Cycling Challenge Series, and the 6-12-24 Hour Endurance Time Trail World Championships. In addition, they offer seminars on endurance bicycle racing and sanction endurance races worldwide.
http://www.raceacrossamerica.org. Follow us on Twitter @RAAMRaces and on Facebook.