On July 31st, over 144 Registered riders left Port Charlotte, Florida, with the sole desire to break a world record for the longest poker run. This poker run would take these riders over 3,200 miles, eight states as they made their way to their final destination, 81st Sturgis Rally.
The riders completed their poker run on August 6th at the Buffalo Chip. Their Coppertone tans and pure adrenaline could finally relax and begin to let it sink in what they had accomplished.
At every stop, they were welcome by dealerships, biker bars, and sponsors. They did their best to soak up all the local color they could in the short time they had there. They averaged over 500 miles per day, so they had to rest and be up bright and early the next day to do it all over again when they stopped. During their evening festivities, these tired riders raised money for the charity of choice, BikerDown Foundation. To date, these riders and organizers have raised over $12,500 to help injured motorcycle riders nationwide.
A Little History
In January 2021, Sonny and Angie (known as “The Badgers”) from supportbikers.com had the vision to break a world record for the longest poker run and wanted to raise money for a charity that helped the biker community. Sonny said, “you would be surprised when you take a look at what is out there; there are hardly any charities that help the biker community.” After some suggestions from their steering committee of riders, Sonny began reaching out and writing emails. BikerDown reached out to me within minutes of me hitting send on my keyboard.
After a few emails and conversations, The Badgers were confident that they had found the right charity.
One of the biggest frustrations BikerDown experiences is an overwhelming number of help requests nationwide where we do not have chapters. BikerDown Bylaws prohibit them from releasing funds outside of our chapter states. The Badgers and WRPR riders have now made it possible for us to give services to riders all over the country.
As President and Founder, I took a flight out to Port Charlotte, Florida, to send off the riders, meet The Badgers and their crew and do all that I could to let the riders know just how appreciative I was on behalf of future injured riders. I was so impressed with how focused and ready they were for these riders; many had already ridden over 800 miles just to start this ride in Port Charlotte.
My next meeting with the crew and riders was in Golden Colorado at Dirty Dogs Roadhouse, where you could see what the riders’ were experiencing. They had almost 2,500 miles under their belt, they had been thru the heat, rain, hail, breakdowns, a couple of accidents, but most importantly, they had overcome every challenge as a group.
Conclusion
On Friday, August 6th at 6 pm, all the riders had to report to the Buffalo Chip for their final check-in; they were happy, hugging, and had such a feeling of accomplishment.
BikerDown will forever be grateful to these riders, organizers, and sponsors for what they went thru for their fellow bikers.
All I can say is the next time Angie and Sonny get a crazy idea; I will say I am ALL IN. Rumor has it they want to do it again next year and break their record.
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