I was surprised when I checked my mailbox yesterday and
found a big envelope from the Iron Butt Association (IBA). I wasn’t expecting anything from them for at
least another month, so you can imagine how excited I was (or maybe you
can’t). Well, I was more excited than a malnourished
tick on a large longhaired dog. I
thought I’d hit the mother lode! I surgically cut through the envelope taking
care not to harm the contents and then eagerly removed the letter, certificate,
pin, and stickers. My wait was over
after six short weeks.
When I submitted my
ride documentation to the IBA in October I’d been told it could take
three-months to process. The IBA
thoroughly reviews all submitted documentation to verify your ride. If something in your documentation package
doesn’t add up, then your ride doesn’t get certified. It’s that simple. The IBA keeps long distance riders honest and
in doing so builds credibility within the long distance riding community. If a
ride is certified by the IBA, you can be sure the rider met the qualifications
and isn’t just telling a fish story.
At first glance, the documentation requirements for the Iron Butt SaddleSore 1000 and Bun Burner 1500 seem a bit daunting but when broken down they’re not that bad. The key to documenting your Iron Butt ride is good organization. You’ll need signed witness forms for the start and end of the ride, a log of all of your stops, a copy of your gas receipts with good date/time stamps, and a map that shows your actual route with all stops annotated. I built a documentation package template for my Bun Burner 1500 ride that helped me stay organized and ensured that I didn’t forget something important. Here’s a pdf version of the documentation package I submitted to the IBA, feel free to use it as an example.
With two IBA certified rides complete, I’m thinking I’ll do either
a SaddleSore 2000 (2000 miles in 48 hours) or a Bun Burner Gold (1500 miles in
24 hours) next. I’m leaning towards the
SaddleSore 2000 because I can do an all Interstate route between Garden Ridge,
TX and Louisville, KY…and get in a quick visit with my Dad. I’m sure the 2170 mile roundtrip journey will
be a challenge but I think I’m up for it.
Some might think I’m crazy, but I
don’t. What’s more crazy? Living your life with
regret over things you never did, or looking back and saying, “Damn, I did
that!” Life is for living and I want to
Live Free and Ride Hard!
I’ll keep you posted on my ride planning progress...
Congratulations Curt. May as well do all of the certified rides, I mean why discriminate?
ReplyDeleteSteve, you have a point. Guess I'll just have to pace myself. :-) ~Curt
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