Who Won the Mongol Derby and How!?

Horsehero.com - Full Article

by Katy Willings

15 November 2011

(Editor’s note: If you are not familiar with the Mongol Derby, read Katy’s article, the 'Spirit of the Derby' first.)

In August 2011, the third edition of the Mongol Derby, the world’s longest and toughest horse race, thundered through 1000km of pristine Mongolia, catapulting (at times literally) another 23 riders into the Adventurists Hall of Fame, and with any luck, the Guinness World Record books. Organiser Katy Willings gives the inside track on this thrillng race....

Immediately after the race, I spent several weeks analysing the reams of data which came back from the Steppe, leaden with horse sweat and the faint whiff of goats, in order to bring you a less whimsical, and more informative blow-by-blow account of what happened this year, where the race was won and lost, and where it hung in the balance.

The beauty about the event is that no one individual has the full story. So much of the good and bad is privately enjoyed and endured, but nevertheless a coherent story emerges form the paperwork! I’ll mix key statistics with brief explanations, points of note and any lessons learned, and invite questions from the floor (in the Comments area below).

Race overview:
The Mongol Derby was won by South African dairy farmer and endurance rider Craig Egberink by 2 minutes (a nose over 1000kms, surely?) from Inner Mongolian contender Sanbayier, first of a cluster of three Chinese riders who were a formidable team throughout. The field spread out over the first two days but though injuries and subsequent drop-outs, the survivors were more clustered than they might have been. All bar two riders fell off, most at least once...

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