Got to! Finished!

I finished the Mongol Derby! And didn’t maim myself! Oh, what a journey it was…

Typing my immediate post-derby post below as a blog post:

To the horses who carried us, the crew (interpreters, vets, event managers, drivers, HQ, and many more!) who took care of us and the horses, the herders who lent us their homes and their steeds, the steppe who taught us lessons and encouraged our growth, and to my fellow competitors turned friends, I am forever grateful.

I’ll probably never be able to put this experience into words that adequately describe how high the highs were, how low the lows were, (and how they were never very far apart!) and how surreal it feels that this journey has come to a close. I am proud of the person I was out on the steppe- joyful, exhausted, vulnerable, frustrated, elated, giddy, devastated, exhilarated, terrified, moved, and thoroughly still myself. I am proud of my riding, self management, how well my body held up, and how much I grew as a horseman and a person. I am awestruck by this country, these horses, this culture.

The tan lines will fade (I hope quickly! 😎 I swear I’m clean!), the aches will subside, the chafe will heal, the jet lag will dissipate, the memories will grow as hazy as those incredibly hot days trotting - or trying to 🧟‍♀️ - along the road (Dante’s inferno anyone?), but the lessons learned, the connections made, the experience shared, and the goal obtained will never be diluted. We took on the world’s longest and toughest horse race and lived to tell the tale. @mongolderby

bi mongoldoo khairtai

Finally, to everyone supporting, near and far, thank you for your enthusiasm, encouragement, and energy. The steppe can feel incredibly isolating, so it was comforting to know that I had a whole army of people peering at my dot and truly caring about where I was and what was happening. It was a little overwhelming to see just how many of you tuned in and while I’ll never be able to thank you all individually, please know that I appreciate each and every one of you.

And to my village, I cannot express my gratitude enough. Thank you, thank you, thank you!