The speaker for the July 17th meeting was Easton Kiwanis member James Owen. Besides being a pilot for United Airlines James is an avid motorcyclist who participates in “loooooong” rides as part of the Iron Butt Rallies. To be able to participate in these events a biker must drive 1000 miles in 24 hours. James has been part of this organization for many years and has participated in many events winning the 2009 and 2017 long-distance rides. He feels that this sport is an extreme test of the human spirit and endurance. When he talks about long-distance you can see what he means by looking at the image below which tracks the route he took in the 2019 run. In this year’s event, there were 102 bikes which must travel through set check-in points along the designed route. The event is scored based on meeting the designated travel time and the bonus points they can collect along the route. James’ bike is a 2018 BMW equipped with a GPS and aviation weather tracking system and a spare fuel tank. The rules limit the onboard fuel amount to 11 gallons. James feels that one of the most important challenges that each rider needs to have is managing your energy. He feels that being an international airline pilot gives him the ability to meet this challenge. James did not win this year but I am sure that he will be in the hunt in 2020. Good Luck!!
Iron Butt Rally
