Race Across America (RAAM) is considered the World’s Toughest Annual Bike Race. The ultra-distance road cycling race spans across 3,000 miles (4,800 km) with ~170,000 feet (51,800m) of climb. The race is so physically and mentally grueling that half of solo participants will likely drop out. Despite this, many keep coming back.
One of these cyclists is Marko Baloh.
Marko is a 10x RAAM competitor, 7x solo finisher, winner of the 2-person division in 2008. He can boast other endurance cycling feats, like winning Race Across the West in 2022 and breaking several 100 mile, 200 mile, 12 and 24 hour WUCA World Records. He’s also worked as a RAAM crew chief and coach.
In a recent Nduranz podcast episode, we sat down with Marko to talk about his experience. If you are interested in trying a RAAM or other ultra-distance race, here are his valuable insights and advice.
Race Across America: Not Just Physical Preparation
Competing in Race Across America obviously takes years of physical training. But Marko says you also need at least one year—if not two—for logistical planning.
RAAM is expensive, so a lot of those logistics involve budgeting and fundraising. Marko didn’t share his expenses, but it cost winner Christoph Strasser $50,000 in 2019. Some report doing it on barebone budgets of $15,000 but others say their costs were closer to $100,000.
With time and cost commitments so high, it’s not surprising that many RAAM participants are older than you’d typically see in road races.
The Crew Is Everything
On RAAM, the crew is your lifeline and it wouldn’t be possible without them. But crewing is incredibly stressful. Marko has been on both sides of RAAM and says he would 100% rather be cycling than crewing because it is so much responsibility.
While he says RAAM is possible with a 6-person crew, you’ll likely need at least 8 or even 10 people. What helped Marko recruit his crew? His good mood.
“When you are sleep deprived, you can be pretty nasty. Fortunately, I'm not known for my temper, which actually helps when recruiting because the crew gets to enjoy RAAM a bit more with me.”
Marko's wife Irma Baloh was his Crew Chief for RAAM.
Rookie Overconfidence Can Lead to Failure
Before his first RAAM, Marko trained for two years and studied race stats. When he saw how “slow” the average speeds were, he thought it would be easy.
But, like most rookies, Marko was overconfident.
He started strong—leading for half a day and in the top three for a long stretch—but then things went bad. He developed serious lung problems, was hospitalized with an embolism, and spent over a year on blood thinners.
“You think you have it. But it’s a different beast when you try it.”
How Many Calories Do RAAM Cyclists Burn?
Fewer than 300 solo cyclists have completed Race Across America, so there isn’t much data available on energy needs. But the data we do have is astounding. One case report of a 2004 finisher who completed the race in nine days put the energy requirement at 11,6000 calories per day. Another analysis suggested an even higher range—15,000 to 23,000 calories per day.
Even if those upper estimates are exaggerated, the takeaway is clear: RAAM cyclists burn an extraordinary amount of energy. And they rarely manage to replace it all.
Eating All Day—And Still Losing Weight
No part of RAAM is easy, but keeping up with fuel intake is deceptively difficult. Riders have to eat almost constantly to keep up energy levels. But digesting is a challenge when your body is under so much stress. To make things worse, food fatigue sets in after two or three days and riders lose the desire to eat.
Despite these challenges, Marko managed to consume 350-400 calories per hour during RAAM—or roughly 8,400 to 9,600 calories per day.
Here’s how Marko's calorie intake compares to top solo RAAM cyclists
- Marcel Knaus (2003, 4th place): ~9,600 kcal/day
- Jure Robic (2004, 1st place): ~10,000 kcal/day
- Lukas Kaufmann (2024, 2nd place): ~9,000 kcal/day
- Dorina Vaccaroni (2023, 1st in 60–69): ~8,000–10,000 kcal/day
While 10,000 kcal/day is a huge amount of energy, it’s nowhere close to how much RAAM cyclists are burning. Weight loss is almost inevitable. Marko, who weighs 78 kg, says he lost 5kg during RAAM—consistent with what other RAAM cyclists report.
Standard Endurance Fueling Doesn’t Work for RAAM
Fueling for endurance racing typically involves consuming 45-90 grams of fast carbohydrates per hour to prevent glycogen depletion. But RAAM is different: Riders can’t just rely on sugars alone for 8 to 12 days straight.
“The gels don’t work. Your taste goes to garbage and nothing tastes good anymore.”
While rapid carbohydrates are still essential, RAAM cyclists also need to consume fat. This would normally be a no-go in road races because fat is hard to digest at high intensities. However, much of RAAM is low intensity, so riders can actually digest and utilize the energy from fat.
Solids Are Okay, but Liquid Calories Dominate
Low-intensity also means that RAAM cyclists can digest solid foods. Most will eat solids like muffins, sandwiches, crackers, and bars while riding. However, most of their calories still come from liquids like milkshakes, sports drinks, and yogurt.
Leah Goldstein, for example, said that 70% of her calories during her 2011 RAAM victory came from liquids because her stomach simply couldn’t handle digesting solids.
Liquids also make it easier to consume large amounts of calories at once. Marko’s current strategy is to consume a bottle of Nrgy Drink 90 per hour, which provides 360 calories from rapid carbohydrates, and then add another 100 calories from solids like bars and bananas.
Brian Toone (4th place in 2017) got mouth sores from eating oat bars; the coarse texture chaffed his mouth in the dry desert heat—one more reason to go with liquids.
Diarrhea Is a Common Enemy
During exercise, the body diverts blood away from the digestive tract and to the muscles. As a result, digesting food is difficult and problems like diarrhea are very common.
To avoid GI issues, riders need to consume foods that are low-volume. It’s also crucial they avoid fiber. Fiber means more bathroom stops. This not only slows riders down, but also increases the risk of saddle sores getting infected.
Recovery Nutrition Happens on the Bike
Recovery nutrition typically occurs after the race is over. When you riding for 8+ days, recovery has to happen on the bike. That’s why RAAM cyclists need to consume large amounts of protein while they ride. They also need to consume vitamins and minerals to counteract the stress it is going through.
Ensure: A Favorite with Record-Setters
A lot of the record-setters, like Dani Wyss and Christoph Strasser, rely on the meal-replacement shake Ensure during RAAM. Each 8 fl. oz. bottle (0.24L) has 9g of protein, 220 calories, plus vitamins and minerals.
Marko also tried Ensure. While it worked for 24-hour and even 48-hour events, after three days on Ensure during RAAM, it wrecked his gut.
“I got bad diarrhea and couldn’t handle it anymore.”
It’s a reminder that what works for one athlete doesn’t necessarily work for another.
Food as Incentive: When a Big Mac Becomes Race Fuel
Food fatigue is such a huge obstacle that Marko says, “Every calorie is a good calorie”—meaning that you should eat whatever tastes good, even if it isn’t the “smartest” choice.
For example, one of his favorite foods to eat on RAAM was a Big Mac. At 600 calories, a Big Mac would keep him fueled for nearly two hours.
His crew would even use it as an incentive to get him going. They would say, “If you do the time station in 2.5 hours, a Big Mac will be waiting for you.”
Another favorite of RAAM cyclists? Ice cream. It feels good and helps fight the heat in the desert sections of RAAM where temperatures can easily reach 45C.
Fueling for RAAM Climbs
Much of RAAM is low to moderate intensity, allowing for digestion of solid foods. But not always. Some climbs can last two to three hours, spiking heart rate and power output—and shutting down the digestive system.
“You can’t eat during those climbs,” Marko says.
That’s when the support teams hand out gels and sports drinks—quick-digesting, high-carbohydrates that provide fuel without making the rider feel heavy or bloated.
Gut Training: Building a Stomach That Can Handle RAAM
Gut training is crucial to ensure your body can handle digesting large amounts of energy while under duress.
Marko says the process starts with seeing how much your body can tolerate. Then you slowly add more food until your body can’t handle it anymore.
But gut tolerance isn’t fixed, and RAAM is unpredictable. That’s why Marko says it’s important to have multiple backup options for RAAM.
“You need Plan A, B, C... So when Plan A stops working, you switch to the next one.”
For more, Read: Endurance Athlete’s Guide to Gut Training
To avoid downtime, RAAM cyclists do everything possible on the bike. This includes brushing their teeth on the bike, something necessary to get rid of the sugary and salty residues from eating so much. Marko also used mouth water rinses to “clean up the mess” in his mouth.
What Works One Year Might Not Work the Next
Frustratingly, there is no “perfect” nutrition plan for Race Across America. Not only is each cyclist is different, but each year is different, too.
For example, Marko says that he and his team got the nutrition perfect one year. Even his bathroom breaks were like clockwork. He thought they had figured it out, so followed the same nutrition plan the next year.
“The next time we did this exactly the same. But after two days, I was in such a bad state with diarrhea. So, just because it's perfect one year, it doesn’t mean that it will work the next year.”
How Much Do RAAM Cyclists Sleep?
Most RAAM cyclists only average 1.5 to 2 hours of sleep per day. Sleeping more than this would make it difficult to finish the race in the 12-day cut off period. Some RAAM cyclists get even less sleep. For example, Christoph Strasser reportedly only slept 6 hours over 8 days for his record-setting 2014 RAAM win.
Marko says the lack of sleep makes RAAM as much a sleeping deprivation contest as a cycling contest. Even on his 10th RAAM, the end was still a blur because he was so sleep deprived.
Bear in mind that racers don’t necessarily sleep the same amount each day. Marko, like many racers, skipped sleep on the first day of RAAM. Even if a rider wants to sleep, Marko says it isn’t possible because you are so full of adrenaline.
Sleep Deprivation Strategies
Let’s be clear: Sleep deprivation can make RAAM dangerous. There have been three fatalities in Race Across America’s history (Brett Malin in 2003, Bob Breedlove in 2005, and Anders Tesgaard in 2015), plus numerous serious accidents.
Coach Brian Barnett, who crewed for Brian Toone (4th place in 2017), semi-jokingly said, “I’m proud to say none of us died.”
Marko says you can’t train for sleep deprivation. However, he does share strategies that can help:
- Train in the Dark: Marko would train at 3am to help him prepare for RAAM, and actually found he enjoys riding in the calm of night.
- Sleep before Sunrise: For Marko, this was the hardest part to stay awake, so it’s when he scheduled his sleep time. This also allowed him to ride during the night when the roads were clearer.
- Get One Longer Block of Sleep: Taking several short naps didn’t work for Marko. His body needed a full 1.5 hours of sleep. After waking, he was more focused and could ride faster, thus balanced out the time he “lost” to sleep.
- Add in Naps: Around day 4 or 5, Marko would add in power naps. Each time he started falling asleep on the bike, the team would pull over and he’d sleep for 15 minutes maximum.
“The naps are a kind of trick. Your brain feels that it’s got sleep and you are actually okay.”
Recovery After Race Across America
Marko says that he could recover from “shorter” ultra races, such as 24 hour or 48-hour races, in a week or two. But RAAM is a different beast: It takes at least a month after RAAM to get back to feeling normal and having a similar power output.
Everything Hurts
After RAAM, any part of the body which touched the bike hurts. The saddle sores can be brutal and Marko had to sit on a donut pillow after RAAM. Surprisingly though, saddle sores—even the really bad ones—go away in just few days. It’s the hands and feet which take longer to heal.
Hand Numbness
The nerve compression from holding the bars nonstop for days straight caused numbness in Marko’s ring and pinky fingers—something common among RAAM riders. He couldn’t feel them for three to four months. Marko can feel them now, the feeling never completely went back to normal.
Foot Pain
Marko had so much foot pain that it was making it impossible to do more than 5 or 6 hours of riding. He found a solution though: midfoot clip position shoes.
While the shoes are still a bit awkward on sharp turns, he says they are unbelievable and the pain is completely gone.
Shermer's Neck is a serious condition where the neck muscles fail and can no longer support the weight of the head. While Marco didn’t have this problem, some cyclists have to use devices to hold their necks up.
Sleep After RAAM
Contrary to what you might think, Marco says you don’t sleep for 40 hours straight after RAAM. Why? Because you wake up hungry every few hours.
For 2 or 3 days after RAAM, you just eat and eat.
Marco even learned to keep a fridge near his bed during recovery so he could eat and go back to sleep faster.
Want to learn more about ultra-cycling?
Watch the full podcast episode with Marko Baloh. You can also read our article on Fueling for an Audax.