Olivia Hankel finishes 1,000 kilometer race on semi-wild horses<\/p>\n
HERMISTON \u2014 What began as a dream turned into the adventure of a lifetime for Olivia Hankel, who recently completed the Mongol Derby \u2014 one of the world\u2019s toughest horse races.<\/p>\n
Hankel, 27, of Hermiston, was one of 45 riders from around the world who competed in the race Aug. 4\u201313 across the rugged Mongolian steppe.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like it\u2019s a body, soul, spirit challenge,\u201d she said. \u201cEvery aspect of you is put through the ringer. Physically, it was really tough.\u201d<\/p>\n
Riders endured up to 12 relentless hours a day in the saddle on semi-wild horses, covering 1,000 kilometers \u2014 roughly 621 miles \u2014 during the course of 10 grueling days.<\/p>\n
Hankel spent several hours and days riding through high mountain passes, vast valleys, wooded hills, river crossings, wetlands, sand dunes and wide-open steppe. The Mongolian landscape reminded her of Eastern Oregon\u2019s rolling hills, she said, but the experience was \u201csurreal\u201d and completing the race fulfilled a lifelong dream.<\/p>\n
Handling the horses<\/p>\n
Horsemanship in Mongolia differs significantly from traditional methods in the United States. While American training emphasizes breaking and managing horses to build a bond, Mongolian horses typically roam freely in large herds, until horse wranglers round them up when needed and select steeds from dozens of semi-wild animals.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome of the horses are used for racing and are a little more familiar with being handled,\u201d she said. \u201cBut many of them are essentially wild. Saddling and bridling them could be a challenge. They\u2019re small, but they\u2019re incredibly strong and have more endurance than any of my horses back home.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hankel had just three days of training on semi-wild horses in Mongolia before the race, riding a few to get a feel for them.<\/p>\n
Before the race, she spent two years training in Baker City. sShe said, adjusting from trained horses to semi-wild ones was one of her biggest challenges.<\/p>\n
\u201cEverything hurt, my knees were swollen and I got bucked off my first horse, so I was pretty sore,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
A few days into the race, Hankel said her body was in pain, but by the fourth day, she had adapted and grown stronger.<\/p>\n
Racing like Khan\u2019s riders<\/p>\n
According to the Mongol Derby website, the inspiration for the race comes from Genghis Khan\u2019s much earlier version of the Pony Express.<\/p>\n
Khan in 1224 set up the world\u2019s first long-distance postal system using a vast network of \u201cmorin urtuu\u201d \u2014 Mongolian for horse station. The stations were about 35 kilometers apart. Khan\u2019s messengers rode horses at a gallop non-stop, changing to a fresh horse at each station, to deliver messages across the empire within days. The system gave the Mongol forces a major tactical advantage and remained in use until the 1950s.<\/p>\n
The Mongol Derby began in 2009. Like Khan\u2019s messengers, the modern riders switch horses at each station. But now the riders navigate the course with GPS devices \u2014 the course is not marked \u2014 and they have limited outside support.<\/p>\n
The race tests not only riding skill but endurance, navigation and survival skills \u2014 and determination \u2014\u00a0to cover the 1,000 kilometer Mongolian wilderness.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe course is set up in a loop, so we started and finished at the same camp,\u201d Hankel said. \u201cYou ride to different horse stations, which are run by nomadic families. The organizers pay them to use their herds, and every 25 to 40 kilometers, you stop at a new family\u2019s station and get a fresh horse.\u201d<\/p>\n
Each host family along the route prepared meals for the riders, Hankel said, with offerings varying based on what was available at the time. The food was traditional to the region, often limited to what nomadic families could access on the steppe such as meat and dairy.<\/p>\n
Testing her limits<\/p>\n
Hankel said she faced added uncertainty heading into the race due to ongoing autoimmune health issues she has battled since childhood. The physical demands of training had taken a toll on her body and she wasn\u2019t sure how she would hold up during the race.<\/p>\n
\u201cI anticipated it being really difficult physically,\u201d she said. \u201cDuring training, my body didn\u2019t respond well and I honestly didn\u2019t know how it was going to go.\u201d<\/p>\n
Still, Hankel said she felt a strong sense of faith that she would be given the strength to finish.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery day I would get to the end and think, \u2018This is so tough. I don\u2019t know how I\u2019m going to do this again tomorrow.\u2019 But each day, whatever issues came up, my body would somehow reset, and I felt (God\u2019s) grace for the next day,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Beyond the physical challenge of fatigue and exhaustion, Hankel said one of the most meaningful parts of the experience was unplugging from modern life.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor 10 days, you don\u2019t have access to the internet or your phone and you can\u2019t call home,\u201d she said. \u201cIt forces you to trust yourself. It really boosted my confidence. I feel like I proved to myself that I can do anything.\u201d<\/p>\n
The next challenge<\/p>\n
Hankel finished 25th in the race. Nineteen of the 45 riders either dropped out or were bumped down to the Adventure Class, a category for participants who left the race or needed assistance. This allowed them to keep riding but removed them from competition.<\/p>\n
All the contestants received a traditional Mongolian scarf, a symbolic gift meant of honor. The gesture reflects local customs and serves as a cultural welcome for everyone in the race.<\/p>\n
After fulfilling her dream of completing the race Hankel said she plans to relax at home and spend time with her family. However, she is considering entering another major race, the Gaucho Derby, a similar endurance event held in Patagonia, hosted by the same organizers.<\/p>\n
Hankel said the whole experience reinforced her belief that no matter the obstacles, if you have a dream, there\u2019s always a way to make it happen.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe idea feels romantic \u2014 riding wild horses across Mongolia sounds like a dream and that\u2019s what initially drew me in,\u201d she said. \u201cBut the reality is incredibly tough.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hankel advised anyone considering the race to be sure it\u2019s something they truly want to do. She emphasized the importance of being mentally prepared for the challenge, staying determined and believing that anything is possible.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Olivia Hankel finishes 1,000 kilometer race on semi-wild horses HERMISTON \u2014 What began as a dream turned into…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":382413,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4107],"tags":[1071,79,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-382412","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-racing","8":"tag-racing","9":"tag-sports","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115112038311216268","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/382412","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=382412"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/382412\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/382413"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=382412"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=382412"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=382412"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}