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Wyoming Woman to Race 620-Mile Mongolian Derby,…

POWELL — Dede Anders thought she had more than a year to prepare for the Mongol Derby. Now she has just weeks until she competes in the grueling 620-mile Mongol Derby, the world’s longest and toughest horse race.

“I was going to go next year,” she told Cowboy State Daily. “But I got waitlisted this year. I’m leaving from Denver (International Airport) on August 1st and the derby starts on August 7th.”

Anders is embarking on a nine-day trek, spending up to 11 hours a day in the saddle across 620 miles of vast, isolated Mongolian wilderness. But her only concern now is making sure she gets the right flights to get there.

“I’m more nervous about the trip there because I have so many stops,” she said. “The race is a lot less of a worry. That’s my comfort zone.”

If history is to be believed, Wyoming has a good track record in the Mongol Derby.

In 2019, Cheyenne native Robert Long won. He was 70 at the time, making him not only the oldest winner of the event, but also the oldest to complete the race.

Maybe crazy

For Anders, competing in the Mongol Derby is the culmination of a lifelong passion for equestrianism. She is immersed in every aspect of horse riding, including an extensive background in rodeo riding.

“I’ve been riding my whole life,” she said. “I grew up on a small ranch in Greybull, and I ride almost every day when I’m home.”

After graduating from high school, Anders served as a medic in the U.S. Army. She then earned her nursing degree from Northwest College and the University of Wyoming, completed a residency in physician assistant training at the University of North Dakota, and earned a doctorate in medical science and emergency medicine from Lincoln Memorial University in Harrogate, Tennessee.

Anders first encountered the Mongol Derby during a slow day at work. Reading about “the longest and toughest” horse race in the world was not intimidating, but inspiring.

“Every little girl reads books about Mongolian horses, Black Beauty and all that stuff,” she said. “I had been watching horse racing, so I threw my hat into the fray.”

Anders applied to The Equestrianists, the organization that organizes the Mongol Derby, hoping to be selected to compete. She believed she had the right level of experience, determination and insanity to be seriously considered.

After a year of waiting and interviews by the Equestrianists, Anders was selected to compete in the 2025 Mongol Derby. But when one of the 2024 participants dropped out, Anders received the unexpected call to make the trip a year earlier than expected.

“I may be crazy, but I’m ready,” she said.

The Mongolian Derby

The Mongolian Derby follows the ‘postal route’ established by Genghis Khan across the Mongolian steppe in 1224. Horseback couriers used the route to allow the leader of the Mongol Empire to communicate with the far-flung reaches of his conquests.

Today, the Mongol Derby holds the record for the longest multi-horse race in the world. Competitors ride “semi-wild” Mongolian horses between 25 stations along the 620-mile route, changing horses at each station.

“It’s a little bit about riding and a little bit about your endurance,” Anders said. “It’s not a marked trail. You’re GPS-routed to it. So you can miss a checkpoint and get lost. If you’re between stations and the time to ride is up, you just camp where you are. That’s where the racing part comes in.”

Riders are allowed to ride for a maximum of 11 hours per day. They can be punished if they ride their horses too hard. Medics and horse vets are on hand at each station, along with food and water for the riders and their horses.

The Mongol Derby is notoriously treacherous and runners have been lost and injured during the race, sometimes to the point of being unable to continue. Just finishing the derby is worth celebrating.

The modern Mongol Derby began in 2009. According to Anders, only 50 people are selected each year to compete in the grueling endurance race.

“From what I’ve seen so far, I think there’s maybe only three or four other people from the U.S. competing this year,” she said. “I’m still trying to figure out who everyone is because I’m late, but there are riders from London, Belgium, and South Africa.”

  • Dede Anders of Powell, Wyoming, lives to ride. She had been preparing for the race of her life next year in the famed Mongol Derby, a 620-mile race that’s been called the longest and toughest on the planet. But a recent appeal has pushed that back to next month.
    Dede Anders of Powell, Wyoming, lives to ride. She had been preparing for the race of her life next year in the famed Mongol Derby, a 620-mile race that’s been called the longest and toughest on the planet. But a recent appeal has pushed that back to next month. (Courtesy of Dede Anders)
  • Dede Anders of Powell, Wyoming, lives to ride. She had been preparing for the race of her life next year in the famed Mongol Derby, a 620-mile race that’s been called the longest and toughest on the planet. But a recent appeal has pushed that back to next month.
    Dede Anders of Powell, Wyoming, lives to ride. She had been preparing for the race of her life next year in the famed Mongol Derby, a 620-mile race that’s been called the longest and toughest on the planet. But a recent appeal has pushed that back to next month. (Courtesy of Dede Anders)
  • Dede Anders of Powell, Wyoming, lives to ride. She had been preparing for the race of her life next year in the famed Mongol Derby, a 620-mile race that’s been called the longest and toughest on the planet. But a recent appeal has pushed that back to next month.
    Dede Anders of Powell, Wyoming, lives to ride. She had been preparing for the race of her life next year in the famed Mongol Derby, a 620-mile race that’s been called the longest and toughest on the planet. But a recent appeal has pushed that back to next month. (Courtesy of Dede Anders)

The Wyoming Advantage

One of the things Anders did to prepare for the Mongol Derby was watch the 2017 documentary “All the Wild Horses.” Producer Ivo Marloh completed the derby twice to gather enough footage for the film.

Many people would be put off by the film’s depiction of the hardships and isolation of the Mongol Derby. Others found it to be encouraging, especially when she saw the temperament of the horses she would be riding.

“After I watched it, it gave me peace of mind,” she said. “They ride semi-wild horses in the derby, and I’ve been riding wild horses my whole life. Getting on a wild bucking horse is the same stupid thing my brother and I would do on a normal day.”

Mongolian horses are considerably smaller than most, which Anders said can make them more difficult to ride. But the more she learns about the Mongol Derby, the more she sees a lifetime of rewarding experiences in Wyoming.

“The landscape of Mongolia is very similar to Wyoming, and the remoteness is also very similar,” she said. “Some people come from London and other cities, and they don’t know what it’s like not to have an ambulance or all the conveniences within reach. I’m used to that. It’s not scary to me.”

Anders knows how to handle a wild horse in rough, deserted terrain. And she will need all her knowledge and experience to reach the end of the nine-day derby.

Dede Anders of Powell, Wyoming, lives to ride. She had been preparing for the race of her life next year in the famed Mongol Derby, a 620-mile race that’s been called the longest and toughest on the planet. But a recent appeal has pushed that back to next month.
Dede Anders of Powell, Wyoming, lives to ride. She had been preparing for the race of her life next year in the famed Mongol Derby, a 620-mile race that’s been called the longest and toughest on the planet. But a recent appeal has pushed that back to next month. (Courtesy of Dede Anders)

Finish, then finish first

Even though everyone rides the same amount of time each day in the Mongol Derby, there is a competitive element to the race. And there is already a Wyoming legacy to the race.

In 2022, Jackson rider Deirdre Griffith took first place in the Mongol Derby, an honor she shared with South African Willemien Jooste. She was the fourth American and first Wyomingite to win since 2009.

Anders wants to maintain a realistic perspective, as she is leaving a year earlier than expected.

“I want to finish first, and I want to finish first,” she said. “I want to finish, period. There are all kinds of contingencies, and some people say if you get injured, you’re disqualified. You can still travel and get the experience and see everything; you just might not be a competitor.”

The derby also provides a chance to rally support for causes the riders care about. Griffith’s 2022 win helped raise $100,000 for the Parental Mental Wellness Program for new parents at St. John’s Health in Jackson.

Anders rides for Wyo Hoofbeats Equine Assisted Learning (EAL), a Cody-based nonprofit that provides equine-assisted learning and psychotherapy programs for seniors, at-risk children and families, and people with mental health issues.

For now, Anders is bracing herself for the difficult journey of navigating international airports. She’ll fly from Denver to Istanbul on August 1, then catch a flight on one of two airlines that fly to Mongolia’s capital, Ulaanbaatar.

The 2024 Mongol Derby begins on August 7, and Wyoming residents can follow Anders’ progress on the race’s official website . Once the race begins, Anders is confident her Wyoming heritage will carry her through the longest, toughest horse race in the world.

“I’ve known how to ride wild horses,” she said. “Bigger ones are easier than smaller ones, but the ‘half-wild’ Mongolian horses look like naughty little ponies. I can ride naughty little ponies through Mongolia for nine days. I’ve done it all my life in Wyoming.”

Contact Andrew Rossi at [email protected]

Andrew Rossi can be reached at [email protected].