Smith, a resident of McComb, Mississippi, logged on these monster miles while maintaining a tight schedule to reach a series of mandatory checkpoints within specific windows of time. Along the way, he visited a myriad of locations throughout the United States and in Canada to amass 111,834 bonus points.
Every two years, the Iron Butt Association stages the Iron Butt Rally. Approximately 100 riders -- men and women -- take off from a single starting point. In the course of 11 days, each rider will travel from 8,000 to more than 13,000 miles between a series of checkpoints. Each rider plots his or her own course, and, throughout the event, they might not see other participants other than at these mandatory stops.
On August 22, 2005, a total of 90 motorcycle riders rolled one-by-one out of the Doubletree Hotel's parking lot in Denver, Colorado, to begin their quest. Seventy-two returned by the morning of September 2 to complete the event. During the time in between, 18 riders dropped out primarily because they did not reach mandatory checkpoints on time or due to mechanical problems. One contender, who had been leading by a wide margin from the start, was forced to drop out only 500 miles from the finish when his BMW R1150RT's transmission gave up the ghost.
During the Iron Butt Rally, participants can move up in the standings by reaching various bonus locations and scoring bonus points as they proceed from checkpoint to checkpoint. Advancing their standings depends at least as much on intelligent route planning and bonus selection as it does on riding endurance. Perhaps more.
Smith came out ahead through a combination of stamina as a long distance rider and his ability to choose wisely and strategically among numerous bonus locations that delivered the most points while generally consuming the least amount of time and energy.
This year, the bonus locations followed a distinct maritime and water theme. Here's a sample of the 22 locations Smith visited: Miscou Lighthouse, New Brunswick, Canada; Fontana Dam, North Carolina; Chain of Rocks Bridge, Missouri; New River Gorge Bridge, West Virginia; Cape Bear Lighthouse, New Brunswick, Canada; and Mackinac Bridge, Michigan.
Bonus locations other riders selected included lighthouses, bridges, waterfalls, hot springs, rivers and ferries in virtually every state and parts of Canada.
While the Iron Butt Rally is the premier event among such competitions, motorcycle clubs and groups conduct all sorts of 12-, 24- and 48-hour rallies throughout the year and throughout the country. Many rallies offer optional routes that enable participants to ride to win, or to simply take an enjoyable jaunt, rack up the required miles and return on time. More than for the competition, many enthusiasts participate in these events to make friends, experience new roads and enjoy the camaraderie of other like-minded long distance riders.
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