August Mongol Derby Day 1: The lone ranger

Equestrianists.com - Full Article

Holly Conyers
11th August 2022

A hot and heavy Day 1 of the August 2022 Mongol Derby draws to a close, and one brave man has proved he can handle the heat to propel himself into an early lead: Olof Sundstrom (OSU), a Swede bearing an improbable resemblance to his Viking forefathers, has arrived to conquer the steppe. Camping out with one of Mongolia’s many unbelievably hospitable families this evening, he is the only rider to have made it beyond HS3 today. But he’s in no position to rest easy: no less than 12 competitive riders have made it into HS3 tonight, just 8km behind him. Will he manage to put more distance between himself and the trailing pack tomorrow, or will they hunt him down?...

Read more here:
https://equestrianists.com/updates/august-mongol-derby-day-1-the-lone-ranger/

August Mongol Derby Pre-Race: Cleared for blast off

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Holly Conyers
9th August 2022

We can’t quite believe our luck. The dust has barely settled on the steppe following the unbelievably high-octane return of the Mongol Derby in July after a two year hiatus and yet, here we are again: on the eve of another life-changing adventure for 46 riders from all corners of the globe successfully graduated from start camp, united by passion for the horse and a high pain threshold. What an absolute treat.

As usual, our team will be running themselves ragged to bring you live updates from the steppe on our social media pages, while daily race reports will be published here and live tracking will be available for the duration of the race after it kicks off tomorrow morning Mongolia time. Happily, you don’t have to wait until then for some top notch Derby drama. Start camp is only just wrapping up, and we have already had a taste of some of the excitement to come...

Read more at:
https://equestrianists.com/updates/august-mongol-derby-pre-race-cleared-for-blast-off/

Ding ding! Round Two: the August Mongol Derby is ready to roll

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Outlaw Kate
8th August 2022

Just when you thought you couldn’t stand any more Derby excitement, the August Derby is on tap with 46 more intrepid riders from all corners of the globe itching to take on the longest and toughest horse race in the world.

The key factors remain the same: same course (only in reverse), same sorts of horses, same amazing Mongolian hospitality to sample along the way. Yet this will still be an incredibly unique race for these riders. The weather will throw everything at them, the steppe will challenge them, and just like the 46 riders who preceded them a few weeks ago, they will need to call forth all their preparations and experience to see them across the finish line...

Read more here:
https://equestrianists.com/updates/ding-ding-round-two-the-august-derby-is-ready-to-roll/

July Mongol Derby Day 10: That’s all, folks…until next week

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Holly Conyers
1st August 2022

We can’t quite believe it’s over. 10 days of top drawer thrills and spills later, all of our riders still out braving the steppe have ridden across the finish line, on another stupefyingly sunny day. A massive congratulations to all who participated for a superhuman achievement. We are busy totting up the final placings taking account of all those penalties and extra riding hours you’ve been reading about all week, but for now here is a rundown of the day’s action.

Closest to finish camp as the sun came up this morning were Lena Haug (LHA) and Kayleigh Davenport (KDA), camped just 10km shy of home. Holding their overnight position against those starting behind them at HS28, they were the first to storm across the finish line this morning, to raucous applause from the gathered crowds gathered. So raucous, in fact, that one of their two baffled mounts executed a swift about turn about 50 feet short of the line. Blip swiftly sorted, the two rode over the line together, hand in hand and enormous smiles plastered over their faces...

Read more here:
https://equestrianists.com/updates/july-mongol-derby-day-10-thats-all-folks-until-next-week/

July Mongol Derby Day 9: Coming in hot

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Holly Conyers
31st July 2022

The podium positions may have been decided yesterday, but Day 9 of the July 2022 Mongol Derby brought plenty more action and emotional scenes as the rest of the field continued to bomb across the steppe towards their goal. On another summer sizzler, 11 more incredible riders made it across the finish line, with the rest of the field inbound tomorrow.

Riding hours were extended until 20:00, in order to try and allow as many knackered, creaking bodies to get themselves across the finish line and into a hot shower sooner rather than later. We would like to say this is solely for their benefit, but we also have the crew coming into close contact with riders to think about, now that riders are generally smelt before they are spied coming into horse stations...

Read more here:
https://equestrianists.com/updates/july-mongol-derby-day-9-coming-in-hot/

July Mongol Derby Day 8: Here come the girls

Equestrianists.com

Holly Conyers
30th July 2022

Day 8 of the July 2022 Mongol Derby will go down as one of the most thrilling in Derby history. In scenes of unbelievable drama that went right down to the wire, Deirdre Griffith (DGR) and Willemien Jooste (WJO) held their nerve and rode a tactical blinder to snatch victory from right under the noses of Chris Walker (CWA) and Patrick Heffron (PHE), who had been clinging onto the lead since Day 4. Timing their move to perfection, the ladies, who had been snapping at the erstwhile leaders’ hocks for days, overtook them at HS27, the second last horse station before the finish line. A few hours of almost unbearable tension later, and they crossed the line holding hands to take joint first place. A stunning performance by two outstanding horsewomen and athletes. We salute you, ladies. Read on for the blow-by-blow account of how the day’s drama unfolded...

Read more at:
https://equestrianists.com/updates/july-mongol-derby-day-8-here-come-the-girls/

July Mongol Derby Day 7: Battle of the sexes

Equestrianists.com - Full Story

Holly Conyers
29th July 2022

Day 7 draws to an end on the July 2022 Mongol Derby, and the tension has ratcheted up a notch at the head of the race. Overnight leaders Chris Walker (CWA) and Patrick Heffron (PHE) have ridden their pants off today to cling onto their advantage by a nose, camped at HS25. Still tantalisingly close behind them but just out of reach remain Deirdre Griffith (DGR), Willemien Jooste (WJO) and Tiffany Atteberry (ATA), riding hard and fast to reach a campsite between HS23 and HS25. Can the gents cling on until the finish line, just three horse stations away, or do the girls still have enough time to run them down?

Read more at:
https://equestrianists.com/updates/july-mongol-derby-day-7-battle-of-the-sexes/