Hundreds of motorcycles arrive in Columbia Monday

Hundreds of bikers rode across Mid-Missouri Monday as part of this year’s Run for the Wall event over Memorial Day weekend.

The 10-day trip starts in Ontario, California, ending in Washington D.C. Saturday. The group meets at the Lincoln Memorial just before noon, before walking over to the Vietnam Wall, where they place a plaque.

A rider told ABC 17 News they like Mid-Missouri because it’s one of the few states where local law enforcement helps them stay safe.

“We don’t have to worry about pedestrian traffic or civilian vehicles coming into the pack because of the support we get from Missouri. The only other state that does that is New Mexico and the rest of the states we are completely on our own coming through. It’s a lot more challenging. Missouri is just a beautiful state to come through,” said Tom Miller, assistant road guard captain.