August 15, 2026

On Saturday, August 15, Washington riders gathered at Sound Harley-Davidson in Marysville for the 6th Annual Ride For Our Troops, a roughly 100-mile motorcycle poker run benefiting the Xtreme Couture GI Foundation and the veterans and military families it serves.

Founded by Army veteran and six-time UFC champion Randy Couture, the Xtreme Couture GI Foundation exists to help combat veterans and their families through some of the challenges that can follow military service. Its motto is a simple one:

“It’s Our Turn to Serve.”

On this particular Saturday, a whole lot of Washington motorcyclists showed up to do exactly that.

A Washington Motorcycle Ride With a Purpose

Randy Couture joined the riders for a route through Snohomish and Skagit counties, beginning at Sound Harley-Davidson in Marysville and making its way north through some familiar Northwest motorcycle country.

Stops during the day included The Conway Tavern in Conway, Terramar Brewstillery in Edison, and Big Lake Bar & Grill at Big Lake, before the ride ultimately returned to Sound Harley-Davidson.

It was a big group.

GMRW never received a reliable final motorcycle count on the day of the event, and we would rather leave that number open than manufacture one from photographs or video. The Xtreme Couture GI Foundation indicated following the event that final numbers were still being calculated.

Official attendance and fundraising totals will be added to this archive when they become available.

What didn't require a final count was seeing the turnout.

Motorcycles filled the lot, riders kept arriving, and by departure time the 2026 Ride For Our Troops had become one substantial column of motorcycles headed north together for a good cause.

Keeping a Big Ride Moving

A ride of this size doesn't happen simply because everyone fires up their motorcycles and points them in the same direction.

CVMA Chapter 11-5 helped put together the 2026 run, while Fire and Iron FFMC Station 152 — Skagit County “PNW Crew” served as road guards.

Moving a large group of motorcycles safely through intersections, traffic and multiple stops takes coordination and a considerable amount of work. When road guarding is done particularly well, most riders barely notice how much is happening around them.

That's usually the sign that somebody is doing the job right.

Fire and Iron Station 152 did a hell of a job keeping this group together and moving throughout the day.

Why Ride For Our Troops Matters

The motorcycles make for great photographs and video, but they aren't really the important part of this story.

The Xtreme Couture GI Foundation was created to support American veterans and their families, including veterans facing financial hardship and challenges associated with combat-related physical and mental injuries.

Randy Couture's connection to that mission is personal. Before becoming known around the world through mixed martial arts, Couture served in the United States Army.

Ride For Our Troops turns that mission into something the motorcycle community understands particularly well: get people together, go for a ride, raise some money, and help somebody who could use a hand.

Registration fees, poker hands, raffles, auctions, merchandise, sponsorships and contributions surrounding the event all help support that mission.

And behind all of it are the volunteers, organizers, businesses, riders and passengers who give their time and money to make the event possible.

The 2026 Ride at a Glance

Event: 6th Annual Ride For Our Troops
Date: August 15, 2026
Location: Marysville, Washington
Benefiting: Xtreme Couture GI Foundation
Founder: Randy Couture
Start & Finish: Sound Harley-Davidson — Marysville
Ride: Approximately 100-mile motorcycle poker run
Stops: Conway Tavern • Terramar Brewstillery • Big Lake Bar & Grill
Organizational Support: CVMA Chapter 11-5
Road Guards: Fire and Iron FFMC Station 152 — Skagit County “PNW Crew”
Attendance: Official total pending
Funds Raised: Official total pending

GMRW Was There

Great Motorcycle Rides Washington joined the 2026 Ride For Our Troops to document the event from the ground and preserve a little piece of the day for the riders, organizers, volunteers and veterans who made it happen.

Below you'll find GMRW's original photography and video coverage from the 2026 Ride For Our Troops, captured during the event in Marysville and along the route through Northwest Washington.

Supporting the Mission

The motorcycles have gone home and the 2026 ride is over, but the mission continues.

The Xtreme Couture GI Foundation works year-round to assist veterans and military families who need help. To learn more about the foundation, its programs, future Ride For Our Troops events, or ways to support its work, visit the Xtreme Couture GI Foundation.

To everyone who rode, volunteered, donated, hosted a stop, guarded an intersection or otherwise helped make the 2026 Ride For Our Troops happen — thank you.

Ride safe. Take care of each other. And take care of those who took care of us.