National 9/11 Motorcycle Ride Rolls Into Arlington

Perhaps it’s fitting that local police and firefighters were called Friday evening to the site of America’s 9/11 Ride, a first-responder fundraiser and annual motorcycle event.

They arrived after a severe thunderstorm interrupted the evening's festivities and trapped several participants in the nearby parking structure of Arlington’s Doubletree Hotel.

Although the weather caused things to start more than an hour late, as the sky cleared, hundreds of motorcyclists emerged, undaunted, and returned to their celebration.

This is hardly surprising – America’s 9/11 Ride, which began on Thursday and concludes Sunday, is a force to be reckoned with.

Each year, hundreds of motorcyclists from across the country ride to New York City in memory of the first responders – police, firefighters and emergency medical technicians – who risked their lives in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

“The whole purpose of the ride is to remember those that died, to honor the ones who went through that building to help people,” said Ted Sjurseth, president and co-founder of America’s 911 Foundation, the nonprofit that sponsors the annual ride.

“As time goes on, people start to forget,” said Brian McCallum, a Bunker Hill, W.Va., resident and third-time 9/11 Ride participant. McCallum became so emotionally moved while speaking about the Sept. 11 attacks that he needed a moment to compose himself. 

“I want to keep it alive,” he said of the ride. “So we don’t forget.”

The commemorative ride is very much alive, perhaps now more than ever. In its first year, 250 motorcyclists rode with Sjurseth and his wife and fellow co-founder, Lisa. Now, 10 years later, more than 1,700 participants are registered, and about one-third of them are first responders.

Funding such a large-scale event isn’t easy.

The cost of this year’s ride comes to about $170,000. In 2003, the Sjurseths took out a second mortgage on their house to keep the event alive. A devoted foundation board consists entirely of volunteers.

Their hard work and sacrifices aren’t solely for the annual ride, however. The foundation's philanthropy includes the annual awarding of several college scholarships to children of first responders across the country, among other acts, thanks to the contributions of sponsored riders.

But the ride is more than a fundraiser. Over the years, it has also become a community.

“It’s like a family reunion every year,” Lisa Sjurseth said.

It certainly felt that way.

The ride provides transportation for the motorcyclists' family members, so small children and relatives who don’t ride can still participate. Amidst the burly tattooed bikers, toddlers tottered through the crowd, chased by stroller-pushing moms. As the rain slowed Friday, country music singer Aaron Tippin took the stage for a kid-friendly concert.

“It’s just beautiful to see everybody come together,” said Eric Daniel, a first-time rider and firefighter from Columbus, Ohio.

Such unity is even more beautiful when it occurs because people are passionate about an important cause.

Ten years later, America has responded to 9/11 by offering strength and solidarity to its first responders.