Not even close

Have you ever gone on a rollercoaster so many times that, when you went to bed, it still felt like you were on that rollercoaster? Maybe that just happens to me.. Anyway, that's how I felt during the first few nights of the Derby. I would lay down on my mat at night, close my eyes and would still feel like I was gallopping on the steppe. Every once in a while, it would even feel like my horse tripped in a marmot hole and I would jolt awake again. One morning it felt like I'd dreamed about riding all night. I woke up feeling exhausted but I dragged myself out of bed (at 5 am..) to get ready for more. You would think I'd be sick of riding by now? Nope, not even close.


If you followed my dot during the race (apparantly dot-watchers is the proper term for you guys) you may have noticed I never camped out. I normally am such a huge fan of camping but during the Derby it just seemed like too much to add that to the mix as well. I remember very well how annoying it is when you wake up to your horse being gone. Everyone who was at cowcamp that night knows what I'm talking about. 'We lost the horses' was a much used phrase those three weeks.. Anyways, you basically have three options during the Derby: stay at a horse station, wave around your probably poorly translated Mongolian note explaining what on earth you're doing in the middle of nowhere to a local family and stay with them, or put down your sleeping bag next to whatever marmot hole you ended up at before cut-off time. The good thing about being at a horse station is, you get to hand your horse to a herder and crawl into a ger to pass out for the night. When you camp out, you're responsible for making sure your mount gets water, food and, most importantly, is still there when you wake up in the morning. I'm sad I missed out on the awesome stories you get from camping, but staying with the families at the horse stations was a lot easier, even though it might make me sound 'boring'.


Back to the race! They say day three is the hardest and while I am not sure that's true, it definitely wasn't an easy day. Of course it was still raining when we got up. Charles told us it might rain till Monday (it was only Friday) so that really boosted morale.. There was quite a large group of riders staying at HS5 so we all rode off together. The group split up pretty quickly when people disagreed on which direction to take. I went with Tag and Francis, joined by Catherine, Katie, Anne, Mike, Molly and Ava while Esther, Sally, Rendell and Ella went the other way. We eventually ran into Sally and Esther again but we later heard that Rendell and Ella had retired. The first leg of the day took us through a beautiful mountain pass. Unfortunately we couldn't see much because of all the clouds and rain but I remember a herd of mares and foals suddenly gallopping out of the trees right next to us and taking off into the mist, it was pretty magical.

At the next station, I got a beautiful black horse. We were still riding in the big group. The route we took led us through the hills to a valley surrounded by rocky cliffs. The scenery was breathtaking, especially since it had finally stopped raining and started to clear up a bit. That was the first time I really got to enjoy the beautiful landscape we were speeding through. My horse was amazing and super fast. When Francis' horse bolted, mine could easily keep up and ran after him. It was a little scary at first when he just took off like that without much control on my part but I soon realised he was very sure-footed and then it was just a lot of fun! Unfortunately my stomach cramps got pretty bad again during this leg.. I couldn't keep up with the pace some of the others' were going at so we decided to split up the group. Thankfully I didn't have to go alone! We decided to only canter and walk as trotting was just too bouncy. We also opted to stay on the road rather than go cross country in a straight line to the station. This turned out to be a good decision as we made good time and got to the station just a few minutes after the other group did.

The last leg of the day was stressful. The sky had cleared and the sun was beating down on us. The weather had completely turned and it was suddenly really warm. We had a few hold-ups on the way with falls and slow horses and it took a little while to find a path through the bog. We had to push pretty hard as we didn't have a lot of time left. The last few kilometres, our horses were really tired so we had to walk for quite a while. It was getting close to 8 pm. We decided to risk the riding-late penalty as none of us really wanted to spend the night outside, there were no gers in sight. We made it, with only a small time penalty. But apparantly when you survive day three, you'll make it to the finish. I was feeling pretty hopeful when I settled into the ger that night!

When it rains, it pours

My first night on the steppe, I woke up every few hours thinking to myself: I can't do this. I still felt horrible but quitting after only one day was never an option, so I put my wet shoes back on and dragged my saddle back to the horse line to choose my next mount. There were quite a few people at HS2 so it took a little while to get everyone horseback. By the time the herder helped me on, Ava and Molly had already galopped off. Thankfully Ella and Tag were still there as well so the three of us rode out together. If they hadn't been there, I would have probably quit right there and then. We were at the back, it was still pouring and we had only covered about 70 km..

Another thing I learned on the Derby: nothing is really waterproof. My jacket worked great in the (admittedly pretty heavy) rains of Wyoming but didn't last long on the steppe. My waterproof shoes were completely soaked and I realized one extra pair of gloves might not be enough. We had tried to dry our stuff in the ger that night but most of it was still damp. I did have an extra set of clothes on me but I wanted to keep those dry for the night. I don't really mind riding in the rain but the last part of each leg I would be freezing cold. We tried to warm up a bit at each horse station with a fire and some food but it didn't do much for our wet clothes. 

Thinking back, it's pretty crazy how much the terrain changed. We rode along a river bank through a marshy area where Ella's horse almost got stuck in the bog, we passed a small town called a 'Soum' in Mongolian, at another point we rode past rolling hills with wild camels grazing around us and on the next stretch we would gallop across open farmland. Of course when you ride 100 km a day, you're bound to see some different scenery. The crazy thing was, while it was long, it didn't really feel that far. I guess it's because Mongolia is so 'empty'. There was nothing around except for some scattered gers and goats. 

I remember certain bits from the legs we rode. We were trying to figure out where we could trot, or canter, how much we should push the horses and when to let them rest. For me, it was mostly about getting to the next station, ignoring the pain in my stomach and staying on. I couldn't really think of anything else, it felt like I was just trying to survive. Thankfully, Tag was a great navigator so he managed to get us to the stations without any detours. On the way to HS3, I realized for the first time how sure-footed and strong these horses are. My mount tripped in a marmot hole, went a few metres on his knees but got back up and kept going like nothing had happened. 

On the third and last leg of the day, I had some trouble finding a horse. The herders couldn't get a saddle on the first two I picked, they kept rearing and bucking. I ended up taking a bay with a big white blaze. Apparantly, two other riders had refused to take him but I just wanted to get going. It turned out to be a good pick. Francis joined our little group on this leg and all four of us got really fast horses, we galopped non-stop for the first 25 km. About 7 km outside of the station, Ella took a little tumble when her saddle slid forward going down a ditch. Thankfully she wasn't hurt and got the horse back before it bolted all the way back to HS4. We made it to the station just before the 8pm cut off time. I didn't realize how cold I was until we got to HS5 and Cozy, one of the vets, wrapped a raincoat around me. Thankfully, there was a fire going in the ger and some hot noodlesoup to warm up. I survived another day on the steppe!

It's not crazy if we all do it

When you look back on something, it’s weird how quickly you forget the hard parts. The moments that you felt like shit and all the times you cursed yourself for ever attempting something so crazy, it all seems to fade from your memory while the highs remain. Even my ‘I will never do this again!’ doesn’t sound as convincing now as it did a week ago. But don’t worry, for now I am not taking off on another crazy adventure, I need to process this one first.

Because believe me, those moments I mentioned? I definitely had them, a lot of them. Just in case a 70-year old cowboy winning the race makes you think it’s easy, let me tell you: it’s not. I was ready to quit after just one day. I was sick, wet, cold and miserable. Oh and both the horses I rode on the first day were lame. Of course I knew all the things that could go wrong on this race, I watched Erin fall 20 minutes after the startgun fired. I knew that you can’t prepare for everything and that plan’s don’t last long during the Derby. I just didn’t expect my plans to hit me in the face on the first day.

The training days at startcamp helped calm my nerves a little bit. We got to do two practice rides to get used to the horses, test our kit and train with the GPS. I learned that a straight line to the coördinates is hardly ever the right path, Mongolian horses aren’t the crazy, people eating monsters that they had turned into in my head and that you should definitely make sure your stirrup isn’t twisted before you get on. And most of all: luck is a big factor in this race. One of the other riders fell off during training and was suspected to have broken his collarbone. After my injury last year, that was my biggest fear.. I managed to get to the startline in one piece, though I was slightly terrified.


The first part of the first leg went pretty well. My horse didn’t bolt and I didn’t fall off and get trampled at the startline (another one of my fears, don’t judge!). He wasn’t the fastest but he kept up a steady canter and soon we started passing other riders. The first hour is a bit of a blur, I know I rode with different people before finding Ava again. Her horse had bolted from the startline but she was doing well and the two of us continued the first leg with Molly Pearson (USA). That’s when my luck for the day ran out. My horse tripped and ended up being lame. I had to walk almost 10 km into the next station. Thankfully Ava and Molly decided to stay with me.

I barely had time to fill up my hydration pack before we got on fresh horses and bolted out of the first horse station. Literally bolted because my horse was a little excited. We rode through what appeared to me a military training area with fake buildings and abandoned cars everywhere. We had just gotten to a tar road (one of the few tar roads we would see during this race) when I suddenly started feeling really sick. This is where I was happy with the advice Stephanie gave me before the Derby (gross details warning): always throw up on the left side of your horse. Best advice I’ve gotten and already useful on day one.. I can’t recommend it though.

So yeah, add that to the stomach cramps I’d had since startcamp, the pouring rain and the fact that suddenly my excited horse couldn’t seem to go faster than a jog. All in all, this wasn’t going as I had expected. Thankfully the horse seemed alright at a lower pace so we slowly made our way to the second station. I decided to stay the night (it was around 18.30 by then) rather then riding out and camping. Only day one and I was already questioning my sanity for taking on this race.

Detours

My road to the Derby took a detour to Wyoming for two months. I finally got to quit the boring desk job, get my backpack out again and head back out west. Unlike the past few summers, I wasn't going to be a wrangler. The plan was to join the groups for some stuff but mostly go on long rides and work with young horses. I figured Horseworks would be the best place to ride lots of different horses and get lots of time in the saddle. Nothing could go wrong with that plan right?

Unfortunately it was exceptionally rainy for the time of year, with roads being washed away all over the place. Of course I wasn't going to let a bit of rain stop me, this was Mongol Derby training after all! I got to test my rain jacket (very waterproof thankfully) and realized an extra pair of gloves is not unnecessary. Wyoming is the state with the most sunny days but it didn't seem like it in May. With all the rain, it got really slippery everywhere. Eventually I had to give in and spend a few days inside, or in the Hotsprings.

The good thing about the soil out there is that it dries op quickly so, when it finally cleared up, I was able to go out again pretty quickly. June was actually really nice, it was still cool but that was great for the long rides I wanted to go on. In the mornings, I filled my bag with snacks and set out to explore new trails. I found a lot of new places to ride, including a beautiful 'new' route to cowcamp and some amazing viewpoints. Some days I went riding with the group, some days I was out by myself. Those rides gave me way too much time to think, but were also great for wildlife viewing. I saw loads of pronghorn, deer, elk, birds of prey and foxes but the highlight were the four coyote pups. I watched them play and run around for half an hour and they weren't scared of me and my horse at all.

Besides going on long rides at Horseworks, I also got the opportunity to work with Duaine Hagen, a horse trainer who lives nearby. I spend a few days a week at his place to learn more about colt training and to work with his horses. He had an indoor arena which was perfect on the rainy days. I really enjoyed the horses I got to train there and learned so much. He takes his time teaching his horses from a young age. Because of that and the fact that he divides the lessons into a lot of small steps, the horses learn really quick and it's not too hard, boring or stressfull for them. He does a lot of groundwork to prepare the youngsters really well for the work they're going to do later on. I helped back two youngsters and it was so great to see their progress. We also worked with yearlings and I got to ride a lot of the older horses, all of them very well behaved and great rides. I even got to rope from horseback, so much fun!

It was another few months of beautiful rides, amazing views, great horses and lovely people. I got to reunite with old friends and meet a lot of new ones. My favorite thing about this place is still all the wonderful people that come here and their stories. We went on some great trips, from a Buck Brannaman clinic in Sheridan to hiking in Montana for my birthday. I have learned so much in Wyoming over the years and this year was no different. I feel a lot more confident about the Derby and about myself. I will forever be grateful for all the opportunities I got here. Now it's almost time for my next adventure...









Hunter could probably do the whole 1000 km by himself, in half the time. He is so fast and never stops, he was a great training partner!












Wrangling cows for a few hours, fun and useful Derby training!








The first time I got on the two-year olds, it was bareback. I hadn't heard of this method before but it worked really well. They were so relaxed. Of course they were well prepared and used to being touched everywhere. We took small steps and started with jumping up and down next to them, hanging over them, laying on their backs to sitting up with a leg on each side. When I tacked them up and got on with the saddle on, they weren't spooked by me being on their backs.

Road to the Mongol Derby part 2

I had an entirely different blog written and ready to post, but then I realized it wasn't the story I wanted to tell. Yesterday, I was talking to someone about how I've never felt pressured by the perfect lives people show on social media, until I entered the Mongol Derby. Suddenly my timeline was filled with messages from fellow competitors about all the crazy workouts they were doing. I felt, and still feel, like I am not doing enough, not training hard enough and won't be good enough to make it through the first day, let alone finish this race. But after another training session, I opened my Facebook again and saw posts from different friends about the stories behind all the perfect pictures and the different struggles everyone is facing. A fellow rider voiced the exact same thoughts I was having and it made me realize it is okay to have doubts, that I am not the only one and that this race is not about being better than others but about improving myself and to keep going when things get rough.

That's also the reason I haven't written a blog in a while. I felt like the training I was doing wasn't enough and I didn't want others to read it and wonder why on earth I would even attempt this race when I am not fit enough. So this is me, trying to listen to the people around me and staying positive. Because I have gotten a lot fitter, I lost weight, gained muscle and can now run a 6k, something I never thought possible. I remember in high school, when we had to do those running tests and I couldn't even run for a minute at a time. I hated PE and as much as I enjoyed riding and dancing, I never thought I would go to a gym for fun. It feels good though, to be more active. I actually look forward to my training now, after a long day at work doing the most boring job ever.

It's been six months since my arm healed enough for me to start riding again. And in those months I rode less than ever... But I have been training, almost every day. You can't fully prepare for the Derby since there are so many different aspects to it. But I figured I would do as many types of training as I can, to improve my general fitness and get stronger. It was hard at first, I had lost a lot of strength in my arm after my injury and it frustrated me so much that I couldn't even lift a water bucket for my horse. Now I can do pushups again and lift weights. Dancing is still one of the highlights of my week. My group is actually preparing to do a show in June and we're working hard on our dance which is a mix of modern and hiphop. I also run, swim and occasionally try something new, like self defense classes. On the rare moments that I don't have work I ride my own horse or the Icelandic horse I am working with. The owner asked me to take him on trails as he was a little insecure and kept trying to run home or turn around. The first time I rode him, he kept jumping and pawing like a proper Mongolian pony, which made for good practice, but he is actually doing really well now and is a very smooth ride.

There is other stuff I have to focus on now though, like my kit. Since I am only allowed 5kgs of 'luggage' on the horse, I immersed myself in the world of ultra-lightweight hiking gear. The weight limit forces you to only bring essentials. While travelling I have realized that there is not much you really need, so I am interested in seeing how I will feel during the Derby, with less stuff than ever. There are so many different things that go into preparing for this Derby. From visa (which I still have to organize) to navigation skills. I don't have the best sense of direction so I am kind off worried about that part. One of the 'to do' things on my list is taking a GPS course, either that or bribing some of my friends to help me with this. Since I would like to finish the race and not have to pull out because of broken bones, I also want to do some sort of course for that. More on that later, so stay tuned! 

Surrounded by lions

After having had to postpone this trip for almost six months because of my surgery I was beyond excited to finally go to Kenya last week. And it didn't disappoint! It is true that once you've been to Africa, it never truly leaves you. It had been a year since I left South Africa and I couldn't wait to get back to the bush. So there I was, on a plane barely bigger than a car and able to feel every bump of turbulence. They told me to get off at the second stop (I guess this is what they use in lieu of buses..) where Gordie was waiting for us. Sue, Ellen (my fellow travellers) and I loaded into the jeep and he drove us to the first camp. The drive gave us a good idea of what this week would be like: there were animals everywhere. I have been on safari's and seen some amazing stuff so I thought I was prepared. I wasn't. The sheer amount of animals was breathtaking. Herds of hundreds of zebra, impala and wildebeest all walking among hyena and elephant as far as you could see. On our first ride that afternoon we saw two mating lions after only 5 minutes on horseback.

One of the highlights of the trip was definitely all the baby animals we saw. At the last camp, we were staying on the banks of a river filled with Hippo. In the morning one of the crew members pointed something out to me: a hippo had had her baby that night and was resting in the water right across from my tent. The afterbirth was still on the shore being devoured by baboons and crocodiles while the new mom protected her adorable baby. We saw lions with cubs, young giraffe playing and baby elephants trying to figure out what to do with their trunk. Young zebra and topi were running around and the hyena's were showing their cubs the best way to eat the hippo they had caught. But like I said before, the number of animals was just incredible. On the ride to and from our second camp we saw over fifty elephants. On another ride we saw a group of about twenty lions jumping out of the bushes. In total I think I've seen over thirty lions (and heard even more, as they were roaring all around our tents at night).

The horses were amazing. Mine loved a good run and was a great jumper so I got the chance to jump some fallen trees. The horses were very calm with all the wildlife. I felt really safe on my steed, even when we were standing about 20 metres from a pair of lions. Depending on the day we went on a morning and afternoon ride or a day-ride to the next camp. The afternoon rides were my favorite as by then it had cooled down a bit and the animals were more active. But I also loved the picnic lunches on the day-rides. Both times we did that, we first had to chase elephants away before we could set up our things for lunch. At the second lunch spot, the elephant came back and as Gordie tried to shoo him away, a lioness jumped from the bush as well. It's an amazing feeling to be surrounded by animals like that. And the best thing: there were hardly any other people around.

We stayed at three different camps. Everytime we left, everything would get packed up and nothing would be left, safe from the ashes from the fire. The crew would bring everything to the new spot so we could relax in our comfortable tents after the ride. Every campsite was special in it's own way, they were all secluded and remote. At the first one we were surrounded by lions and hyena at night, the second one had a beautiful view over the Mara and the third was along a river filled with hippo. It was an amazing experience to really be in the bush like that, with animals all around you. The Mara is definitely one of the best wildlife destinations and I will surely be back! 

Road to the Mongol Derby part 1

Training has officially started! After two frustrating months of not even being able to dress myself, let alone do any sports, I'm finally back in the game. Most of you know I can't sit still and hate feeling useless so those two months of recovery were really hard. Thankfully I felt good enough to get back on a horse after five weeks (although I couldn't ride my own pony yet) and after six weeks I started running again. And since a few weeks I also took up dancing again and I work with a personal trainer twice a week to improve my (shoulder) muscles and get stronger. My arm is still weak but it's slowly getting better.


I told MaeCile that if I would end up needing surgery, I would cancel the Derby. That was in the first week after my fall, after that it got a lot worse and I actually had to have surgery. So I lied, I wasn't really able to quit. The more I thought and read about the race, the more excited I got. And I still am. Some moments it feels really scary to enter this thing, especially after my fall. My doctor told me that if I end up falling on my shoulder again, the collarbone might break again. Not because the break hasn't  healed but because of the screws in the bone. They weaken the bone and it could easily snap in those spots. So I try really hard to tell myself I could break something either way, even without this pre-existing injury.

Other times I want to quit because training is just so hard. Running doesn't come easily to me so at times I feel like I'll never get there. My goal is to be able to run 10K before the Derby starts. Today I ran a 5K for the first time though and it felt great! It's so hard to drag myself out of bed in the morning to go for a run but I am improving and that makes it worth it. The personal training has once again reaffirmed for me how much I hate the gym. I can hardly force myself to walk in there for the warm-up, let alone the entire training. I'm so self conscious and always feel like everyone else is better than me. We have to decided to train outside instead, which is a lot nicer anyway since I already spend all day inside at work. Even if I fall off on the first day of the Derby, I will be fitter than ever before!


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