Prairieville dental hygienist ready to trek through Asia in world's wildest, longest horse race

TheAdvocate.com - Full Article

BY GEORGE MORRIS | GMORRIS@THEADVOCATE.COM
AUG 6, 2018

When the world’s wildest, longest horse race begins a world away on Wednesday, Prairieville will be represented at the starting line.

And, if Heather "Flash" Accardo isn’t first across the finish line several days from now, it won’t be for lack of trying.

Accardo, a dental hygienist by day, horsewoman by weekend, is one of 40 competitors in the 2018 Mongol Derby, which sets a route through Mongolia’s rugged, lightly populated terrain. The Asian country's terrain, organizers say, is likely to include mountain passes, valleys, wooded hills, river crossings, wetlands, sandy semiarid dunes, rolling hills, dry riverbeds and open steppes or grassy plains.

The 1,000-kilometer course (roughly 621 miles), which was kept secret from riders until days ago, is strenuous enough that just completing it is considered an accomplishment; riders have nine days to complete it. But Accardo is aiming higher...

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