Iron Butt Rally 2009 ends in Spokane!

August 25, 10:55 AMSpokane Motorcycle Travel ExaminerKaren Weimer

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I love motorcycle touring, and even enjoy the occasional long day.  One thing I have always wanted to do is ride an Iron Butt.  So it is with huge excitement and a little jealousy that I recently found out that the 2009 Iron Butt Rally is ending in Spokane!  For those readers who are not familiar with the Iron Butt Association, this is a group of seriously hard-core riders whose motto is “The World’s Toughest Riders.”  The easiest Iron Butt ride is 1000 miles in 24 hours or less, and the Iron Butt rides get more extreme from there.  Several of the rides are multi-day rides.  Most of these rides can be done alone or in groups and at the rider’s convenience, there are other organized group Iron Butt rides, and then there is the Iron Butt Rally.  The Iron Butt Rally kicks it up a notch (as if it needed it!).  The Rally is what separates riders like me, who enjoy a day or two of intense riding from the masters who can handle whatever gets thrown at them, 1000+ mile days, extreme weather, sleep deprivation for many days in a row.

The Iron Butt Rally requires the participants to ride 11,000 miles in 11 days.  It is only run every other year, and participants are chosen by lottery.  Along the way riders have to stop in at checkpoints, making each checkpoint within the given time framework.  The basic route shown on the map above is "only" about 4000 miles.  The riders earn the additional points necessary to be considered a finisher by going on optional rides, and doing extra activities along the route.  These activities must include at least an additional 7000 miles of riding!

This year’s Rally began yesterday, August 24, in Spartanburg, South Carolina at 10:00 am.  The first checkpoint is at 9:00 pm in St. Charles, Illinois on the 26th.  The second checkpoint is in Santa Ana, California on the 30th.  The finish is in Spokane, Washington at 9:00 am on Friday September 4th at the Red Lion.  To be considered a finisher, the rider not only have to make those checkpoints, they also have to complete various tasks along the way.  Many left South Carolina heading to Illinois via the Florida Keys!

For more reading about the Iron Butt Rally:

Daily Reports (this includes pre-ride reports and will be updated with daily news from now until the riders are finished):

“Against the Wind” by Ron Ayres

Riders On Adventure - Karen Weimer's motorcycle blog where she shares her Iron Butt dreams, motorcycle musings, and pictures from many rides over the years.

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