# RAAM RACER SCOTT RAGSDALE: If at first you don't succeed...



## Big-foot (Dec 14, 2002)

SCOTT RAGSDALE: If at first you don't succeed....

By Vic Armijo









The Race Across America attracts adventurous types. Over the years the race has seen RAAM participants who have also tackled such epic challenges as Ironman, swimming the English Channel, and climbing Everest . Scott Ragsdale, an American living in Dubai, fits this mold—he's successfully done the first two and plans on doing Everest, but not before he completes RAAM and rows across the Atlantic Ocean. Yeah, this guy is a bit of an overachiever who along with Ironman (twice) and English Channel swim as also run more than 20 marathons, climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro, and successfully completed Marathon des Sables – a 7 day race across the Sahara desert in Morocco, considered to be the most difficult foot race in the world, and in 2011, he completed Naseba7—7 Ironman triathlons in 7 consecutive days across the 7 Emirates of the UAE.

So it is understandable that "disappointed" doesn't begin to describe how he feels about his failed 2013 attempt at RAAM, after which he wrote on his blog, "For the first time in my life, surely made softer and easier to decide because of the sleep deprivation ... I quit in the middle of challenge. The shame....I have never "DNF'd" (did not finish) anything in my life ... but now I have."

It's been said that true failure isn't in being knocked down, it is being knocked down and not getting back up. Ragsdale is back up and has devoted himself to coming with even greater intensity than before. He's recruited 7-time RAAM soloist Marko Baloh to be his coach.

For the rest of this story follow this link...SCOTT RAGSDALE: If at first you don't succeed...


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