Harley rider covers 30K in 30 days for MDA

October 11, 1:44 PMMotorcycle ExaminerKen Bingenheimer

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Jim Campbell's 2008 Screamin' Eagle Ultra Classic that he rode 30,000 miles to raise money for MDA

Jim Campbell rolled up to his home in Pueblo, CO, this morning around 11:30 a.m., having just completed a bit of a ride on his 2008 Harley-Davidson Screamin' Eagle Ultra Classic. No big deal or anything, just a quick 30,000-mile run over 30 days, to raise money for muscular dystrophy.

You read that right. Thirty thousand miles in 30 days. In his longest day Jim covered 1,654 miles. And he only got four speeding tickets. And he raised nearly $20,000 for muscular dystrophy research.

(Note: For photos of the ride, see the slideshow at the bottom of this page.)

Jim's route took him first in a loop around the continental U.S. and then criss-crossing back and forth. His motivation for undertaking this daunting ride is his mother, "her ability to give till it hurts." Writing a check is one thing but in his mother's mind, "You give till you can feel it. This is my version of that," he says. And why MDA? "It's MDA's affiliation with Harley-Davidson, and it's a charity I believe in."

Jim has been and continues to solicit donations of one cent or two cents per mile for every mile he has ridden. "One penny and two pennies add up. Every penny equals $300." Donations can be made on his FaceBook page, 30K FOR MDA.

And what was it like riding 30,000 miles in 30 days?

"I slept on a lot of picnic tables at rest areas. I also slept on my bike. Everything was about making the miles. There were days when I didn't even eat."

The first several days were fun, says Jim, and then he hit bad weather. At one point he rode for eight hours straight in the rain.

Bad weather in Wyoming yesterday made Jim Campbell reroute

"Bad weather throughout the trip seemed to follow me."

He was headed back to Milwaukee yesterday where Harley-Davidson was planning an event to honor him but he ran into ice in snow in Wyoming so he headed back to Utah. Then, only 500 miles from home today, he took a more roundabout route in order to get the miles. Leaving his last stop just after midnight, he rolled in a little before noon.

Jim makes no bones about the fact that he exceeded the speed limit much of the time.

"I've been pulled over in every other state, but when I told them what I was doing most of them let me go, telling me to slow down, they don't want to come back for an accident."

Throughout the trip, the people Jim met were enthralled with what he was doing and pressed donations on him. "People would say, 'Here's $50, I don't need a receipt. You're doing a good thing.' The generosity was overwhelming. These are the people who'll bring our country back. They're the heart of America and I'm proud to know them."

The ride reportedly has set a world record for this sort of thing, although Jim says Guinness has stopped reporting them because of the possible danger involved in someone trying to break such records.

Although some changes were necessary, the following was Jim's starting itinerary. He left on the trip on Sept. 11.

Denver- Milwaukee - 1050
Milwaukee-Boston - 1108
Boston-Atlanta - 1075
Atlanta-San Antonio - 1000
San Antonio-Phoenix - 992
Phoenix- Denver..(pit stop) - 931
Denver-Reno - 1035
Reno- Seattle - 800
Seattle-Rapid City - 1144
Rapid City-Chicago - 931
Chicago-San Antonio - 1200
San Antonio-Denver (pit stop) - 993
Denver- Louisville - 1103
Louisville-Miami - 1078
Miami-DC - 1043
DC-Kansas City - 1095
Kansas City- New Orleans - 918
New Orleans-Denver - 1279
Denver-Phoenix - 931
Phoenix-Reno - 1076
Reno-Spokane - 998
Spokane-Minneapolis - 1022
Minneapolis-Denver (pitstop) - 920
Denver-St Louis - 990
St Louis-NY - 982
NY-Daytona - 1028
Daytona-Dallas - 1089
Dallas-Phoenix - 1067
Phoenix-Boise - 998
Boise-Pueblo - 921
Total - 30797

Jim's story is too much to tell in one article, so I'll be bringing you more in the next couple days. Right now I suspect he's looking forward to staying put for a bit.

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