Meet The Returning Rider # 85 Chuck Marble

 Chuck first learned about the Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge when he saw a poster in the House of Harley dealership in Anchorage. It was obscurely placed on a door intended for employees but fortunately he saw the poster and in 2010 set out from Anchorage to Key West, Florida where he would  head back to Homer, Alaska.  Unfortunately his challenge was cut short the first day in a sandy curve in Florida where several other riders wrecked as well. In 2015 Chuck went back to that Key West starting line and completed that 2010 ride making him one of only five riders to have bragging rights to riding ALL of the challenges.

At 70, but feeling a lot younger inside, he has had friends express concern for his safety to continue doing the event but Chuck says "there is nothing like seeing this country on the back of a motor scooter." Being a retired pilot he has traveled extensively but nothing like the HHMC. He wants to test himself and although in 2010 he knew there were a lot of people much more experienced at long distance riding and the chance of being the winner of the half millions that was offered that year was unlikely, he was going to ride it as if he had a chance. " I knew there were a lot more riches out there to discover then money."

The unanticipated arrival in Nova Scotia, after figuring out that peanut M & M's were a great way to battle fatigue, and seeing a group waiting for him even at 2 a.m. always brings a smile to his face. Wrong turns are inevitable when doing the challenge but Chucks favorite part of the challenge is when he sees a fellow rider over whelmed by challenge work through them and figure out what the HHMC really is. Even going a couple hundred miles the wrong way has happened. " Making a wrong turn is part of the HHMC. If you have not made a wrong turn you have not done the event."

Although it would be cheaper to just ride all over the United States and Canada when asked why Chuck continues to participate he said he like to keep challenge himself to improve on his previous attempts. He love the new family he has with the riders and their family's. "Why do you ride a roller coaster a second time?"

Completing 7 Iron butt True X's in a row, traveling over 80K miles by the time he was done is another great accomplishment Chuck can be proud of. He completed those in the off year when he wasn't riding his now 9th Challenge.