SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KCAU) — After 12 days and more than 4,800 miles, the Siouxland Miracle Riders are back home.

The eighth Annual Sioux Miracle Riders had six motorcyclists drive 4,800 miles from Sioux City down to Key West, Florida over 12 days.

The group’s goal for this year’s ride was $51,000 for the Children’s Miracle Network. Those funds would go toward purchasing new equipment and bassinets for Unity Point Health-St. Luke’s.

Matt Thompson, this year’s lead rider, said while the trip down and back is challenging, it’s worth it.

“There’s sunny days, there’s rainy days, there’s cold days, and there’s really hot days. Some days, we have mechanical breakdowns on the side of the road, sometimes we have a bike tip over, someone will get injured, they’ll roll and ankle, and we get ourselves back up. We’re riding for the kids and we get back on the road and we go, but at the end of the day, it’s just a great feeling to know that the money that we raise from the donors and the sponsors that help us buy this equipment, the services to get Siouxland children home to their families as soon as they can,” Thompson said.

The Siouxland Miracle Riders not only help families in need around the tri-state area but also bring joy to the kids along the way.

“We always have toys,” Thompson said. “Whether they be little poppers, or teddy bears, or something, it’s always the kids. So you get kinda into a parking lot and all these kids are looking like ‘Oh my gosh, what are all these bikes, and who are all these people?’ and we’re like, ‘Do you want a teddy bear?’ and they’re like ‘What? Yeah, I want a teddy or a popper.”

This year, the Miracle Riders raised $47,000 for children in need, just shy of their goal.