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The Furnace Creek 508
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| The Furnace Creek 508 Course Records, Results, and History Furnace Creek 508 is the world's premier ultramarathon bicycle race. "The 508" traces its roots back to 1983, the first year that a qualifier was offered for the Race Across AMerica (RAAM). The first Race Across America, known as the Great American Bike Race, had been held the previous summer and the time had come to open the transcontinental race up to any and all capable would-be ultra marathoners. It was decided that a qualifier was the only way to weed out the wannabees from the wunderkinds, so the John Marino Open was staged in May of 1983. The 762-mile course made seven laps and some change around the 100-mile loop formerly used in the second half of the Hemet Double Century in Southern California. The race was held again in May of 84 and May of 85, then moved to Arizona so that the race could be run in a format with support vehicles and time stations. The event next became known as the John Marino Open West, since Lon and Susan Haldeman were had begun staging a JMO Midwest out in Illinois. The first Arizona race was 714 miles from Tucson to the Grand Canyon and back, but subsequent races went "only" from Tucson to Flagstaff and back, a distance of 542 miles. The race was run seven times in Arizona and changed its name to RAAM Open West to foster a more evident affiliation between RAAM and the other Qualifiers. In 87, RAAM Open East was added to the family, further solidifying the West Coast race as The Original, regardless of its location or name. The race moved back to California with the April 89 version of the event covering 508 miles from Valencia to Death Valley to Twenty Nine Palms, a route suggested by the 1987 Race Across America winner, Casey Patterson. Reasons for the relocation included the desire for a quieter, safer course and increased accessibility to the race by riders, crew, and staff. In the fall of 1990, Kostman Sport Group (now AdventureCORPS), under the directorship of Chris Kostman, a finisher of the Hemet and Arizona JMO events as well as a 1987 RAAM finisher, was contracted by John Marino, the founder of Race Across America, the Ultra Marathon Cycling Association, and this race, to promote and organize all future west coast RAAM qualifiers. In 1991 we changed the name of the race to its current moniker to aid in promoting the event worldwide and enhancing its distinct identity as something much bigger than just a qualifier. Over the past twenty years, Furnace Creek 508 has become recognized as the premier ultramarathon bicycle race in the world, "The Toughest 48 hours in Sport." The 508 profile 35,000 feet of climbing 2006 Results and Race Report |
