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RAAM will make all necessary race data available in the various formats used by the more popular GPS receivers and their associated data installation programs as downloadable files from the RAAM website. If contacted in a timely fashion, RAAM management, specifically the Route Designer, will try to provide individual help with selections of equipment and software (by capability, not price or brand) which have been found to be most useful for the unique RAAM task, and how to then prepare it with the proper route data. 

## How to Use the Route Book 

The 3000+ mile route designed for the 2020 Race Across America is divided into 55 segments with a designated Time Station at either end. Segments average approximately 57 miles in length with two in the southern California low desert and two in the western prairie grasslands over 80 miles long. Time Stations are described as specific locations, frequently highway intersections, at which the racers’ times are reported to race headquarters by the Crew using a mobile phone or the closest public (landline) telephone. Many of the Time Stations are staffed by volunteers who provide information, help and other services appropriate to the location. They may be set up anywhere within visual range of the place designated in the Route Book where they can best provide their services, usually close and on the right side of the route highway. 

With the exception of special pages covering start procedures each route section is specified in detail on two facing pages of the Route Book. On the left hand page is a topographic map of that section with detailed inserts to clarify places where several turns occur close together or where other amplification is considered useful. Below the map is an elevation profile of the route in that section. Be careful to note the vertical elevation and horizontal terrain mileage scales of these charts are formatted to fill the same space on the page. Simply glancing at the charts may give you an erroneous perception of the terrain. Distances are in US statute miles following the route terrain similar to measuring with a precision odometer and elevations are in feet above the WGS 84 datum sea level. Because different databases were used in some sections the total route section miles on the profile chart may be very slightly different from that on the instructions page opposite to the map. In this case the instructions page is the most up to date and accurate. 

The right hand page contains the specific instructions for following that section of the route in tabular format following a brief description of the section. Column headings are: ref , mile , turn , (description), and elevation and are explained in the following paragraphs. 

ref a ref erence designation assigned in sequence to each line in the instructions which specifies action at that particular location. 

 Time Station ref designations are TS01 through TS54. 

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