Saturday, August 25, 2018

Mongolia: Gobi Desert Cup: Days 1 and 2



August 25 2018

18 riders started The Gobi Desert Cup on August 22. The 480-km endurance race across the Gobi Desert covers 80 kilometers a day.

Here's an update from The Gobi Desert Cup on Facebook

The moment you’ve all been waiting for: the Day 1 finishers!
Tied in first place are: Christoph Schork (US), Howard Kent (US), Allan Horn (US), Bob Gauthier (US), Peter Breidahl (NZ), and Mathilde Schwartz (NZ)

Next over the line was a tie as well for Tania Orlov (AUS) and Jon Heeboll (Denmark/ Sweden) both award winners for day 1 for Best Managed and Best Sportsmanship! Congratulations!

Next was a tie for Lorie Duff (CAN) and Amy Eighteen.(AUS) followed by:
Jeff Stuart (US)
Cecilia Stone (AUS)
Michael Shaw (AUS)
Kashmira Graham and Stephanie Scott (NZ)
Elodie Maillard (FRA)
Ruth Benney (AUS)
Claire McManus (AUS)

Unfortunately Stephanie Scott’s horse vetted out for heart rate and although she completed the course, she received no points for Day 1. Her horse was treated by vets and happily resting today. Bad luck as all the horses were managed very well by the riders all day and the vets were extremely happy!

While all riders and horses finished well, unfortunately both Howard Kent and Lorie Duff were dehydrated and showed mild symptoms of heat exhaustion by not drinking enough water and electrolytes on course. They were treated by our doctor and given Tailwind Electrolytes to restore their systems.

The doctor has cleared them for riding and while Howard has chosen to rest today, Lorie is determined to ride the course for the CHEO foundation. Don’t worry, we’ll be keeping a close eye on her and she’s happy to go at her own pace.

*****
Day 2

Our first rider is over the finish line on Day 2! Congratulations to Cele Stone!

Our second group has finished Day 2 with a tie of 10 riders! Congratulations to Bob Gauthier, Jeff Stuart, Peter Breidahl, Allan Horn, Mathilde Schwartz, Elodie Maillard, Stephanie Chase, Michael Shaw, and Kashmira Graham!

All our riders are home safe at camp! Our last two riders, Amy Eighteen and Clare McManus, arrived together an hour ago to much applause from the other riders and officials.

They rode slowly and safely at the back of the pack but came in well under the time limit. Great job ladies!

Unfortunately a few riders did not make it to the 40k checkpoint today: Lorie Duff pulled out at 5k due to a sore knee, while Jon had bad luck on the track with not one but two horses. His first horse had some bleeding in the mouth at 5k while his second went lame on track at 10k and he had to walk him into the checkpoint. His horse got loose on the way but with the help of a local family was able to catch his horse and find the track again to be picked up.

On their way also was our Australian moms, Tania and Ruth who took too long to the 40k check point and were unable to continue.
All riders and horses are safe and sound at camp awaiting the rest of the riders at end of day.

More info at:
https://www.gobidesertcup.com/

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