From Iron Butt to Melted Heart

Inspired by a newspaper article, Marshall Madill had dreamed of riding a motorcycle to Alaska since the days of his youth.  However, this dream consisted of a leisurely ride by day, taking in all the sites, and sleeping under the stars by night.  In his mind, Marshall had always budgeted an entire month for this trip.  And while Marshall and his wife Jan are avid motorcycle enthusiasts, he really never envisioned himself as an "Iron Butt" motorcyclist.  An "Iron Butt" in the motorcycle world is someone who rides their motorcycle one thousand miles in a single twenty-four hour period.  Marshall and Jan felt they were really being aggressive when they rode four hundred miles in a day.  The one time they did seven hundred miles in a day, neither could hardly walk or sit down either one.  They were in quite a predicament.  Marshall had absolutely no desire nor intent to even attempt to ride his motorcycle one thousand miles in a day.

Then one day, he discovered a handful of fellow motorcycle enthusiasts that he knew were avid "Iron Butt" participants.  Being competitive by nature, his attitude about "Iron Butt" riding began to temper.  Soon he was hearing about an "Iron Butt" event called "48 States Plus Alaska In 10 Days or Less".  When Marshall heard it involved Alaska, his interest was immediately peaked.  He spent the next fifteen months planning and preparing for this "Iron Butt" ride.  He prepared physically.  He prepared mentally.  He studied and memorized the maps of the route, which would take him to every one of the 48 Contiguous United States of America and then on to Alaska.  This route would cover over 8,600 miles in less than 10-days.  Marshall would definitely need to be an "Iron Butt" in order to accomplish this goal. 

This is the story of how Marshall planned and prepared for the ride.  It is the story of the life lessons Marshall learned throughout the planning, preparation, the ride itself, and even since the official trip was completed.  It is the story of how God invited Himself along for the journey and it's the story of how Marshall was transformed from an "Iron Butt" to a "Melted Heart" by the special individuals that he encountered all along the journey.  Come along Marshall relives and shares with you this adventure of a lifetime that changed his life forever.