Wyoming

American distance jockey is abandoned in Mongolia after getting too sick to ride in 620-mile race: ‘They told me to ride it out’

Published

2 years ago

August 8, 2024

American distance jockey is abandoned in Mongolia after getting too sick to ride in 620-mile race: ‘They told me to ride it out’

A Wyoming-based extreme distance jockey was left to fend for herself in Mongolia after race organizers “couldn’t give a crap” about what happened to her when she fell too sick to compete in the 620-mile trek across the East Asian country.

Dede Anders, 49, was a last-minute entry in the Mongol Derby and arrived in Mongolia on Aug. 1 after race organizers reached out to her last month when another competitor dropped out, she told the Cowboy State Daily.

From the nation’s capital of Ulaanbaatar, Anders took an eight-hour trip to the race starting point and was all set to take the lengthy ride across the Mongolian Steppe.

The race — self-proclaimed as the world’s toughest horse race — recreates the horse messenger system developed by Genghis Khan in 1224, according to The Mongolian Derby’s website.

However, on Monday, two days before the race was set to start, she became violently ill.

“It’s a lot of gastrointestinal stuff,” Anders told the outlet. “I was throwing up and stuff like that.”

The race — which usually takes 10 days to complete as riders navigate through wicked terrain and spend, on average, around 13 hours a day in the saddle — was now out of the question given her condition.

Even worse, when Anders tried to seek medical help at the base camp, she was shocked by the lack of empathy or care the race’s medical staff showed for one of their registered riders.

“Two medics looked at me. They told me I needed nothing but did nothing for me. They told me to ride it out,” the lifelong horse racer told the outlet.

Anders, a US Army medic veteran with a doctorate in medical science and emergency medicine from Lincoln Memorial University in Harrogate, Tenn., was astonished that a race that claimed to have “an international team of highly experienced medics” did so little to help her.

“One of the medics didn’t even touch me or ask me any questions,” she told the outlet.

“The other one took my pulse for a couple of seconds. They didn’t take my vitals, didn’t ask if I was diabetic or what medications I was taking. All they told me was it would pass in 24 hours.”

Anders then met with the Mongol Derby’s race director, Katherine, to tell her she wouldn’t be racing because of how sick she became.

“Katherine came to my yurt and talked to me at least twice,” Anders said. “I told her I was sick both days.”

During this time, she claims the race provided her with no medical care but instead drove her back to Mongolia’s capital, where a driver stranded her at a hotel.

“They put me in a vehicle for eight hours sick with a GI bug, with a driver who barely spoke English,” Anders told the outlet.

“I had to use Expedia from base camp to book a hotel, had the driver stop in the city, and get my passport so I could finally check into the hotel.”

She claims being “dumped off” back in the capital was the thing only organizers of the derby did to help her while ill.

“I was too ill to get on a horse for 620 miles,” Anders shared. “But I was also too ill to get in a car for eight hours and be dumped off into a city without a passport or a flight home.”

Now alone and still dealing with illness in a foreign country, Anders’ trouble continued when she struggled to find a flight back to the US.

“I had to call home and have my boyfriend book a flight for me because I didn’t have cellphone reception,” she said. “Seattle is the closest I could get. I just want to get back to the US.”

The experienced rider couldn’t find a flight back to the US until Aug. 11, and once she lands in Seattle, she will need to make other travel arrangements to get back to Wyoming.

As she waits to return home, Anders said she has emailed race organizers about her feelings about how she was treated but hasn’t “received a response.”

“I paid around $30,000 to go over for this thing,” the rider said. “My entry fee alone was almost $17,000, and I didn’t even get my blood pressure taken when I was sick.”

Prior to the drama, Anders told Cody Enterprise that she was making “payments of about $900 per month” to foot the cost of the race she once considered a “lifelong dream.”

Missing out on the Mongol Derby, which she described as “kind of a mess” and “not very organized,” is the least of her concerns now, given how apathetic the race’s medical staff was while she was ill.

“I work in the ER, and I have my doctorate in emergency medicine,” she told the outlet.

“You couldn’t swing a cat and hit a medic over there. I don’t know what the holdup was, but I was definitely blown off for whatever reason.”

Source link

Click to comment

Wyoming

Wyoming High School Softball Regional Tournaments 2026

Published

4 hours ago

May 14, 2026

Press Room

Wyoming High School Softball Regional Tournaments 2026

Sheridan will play in the North Regional Tournament at Gillette, while the South Regional Tournament will be played at Rock Springs.

North Regional Tournament at Gillette:

Checking record vs. highest team in the quadrant not involved in the tie, Thunder Basin gets the #1 Northeast seed over Campbell County, because the Lady Bolts went 3-1 vs. Sheridan, whereas the Lady Camels went 2-2.

Friday, May 15th:

(#1 NE) Thunder Basin vs. (#4 NW) Jackson – 11am

(#2 NW) Natrona County vs. (#3 NE) Sheridan – 11am

(#2 NE) Campbell County vs. (#3 NW) Kelly Walsh – 1pm

(#1 NW) Cody vs. (#4 NE) Worland – 1pm

Semi-Finals:

Thunder Basin/Jackson winner vs. Natrona County/Sheridan winner – 3pm Winner qualifies for the state tournament.

Campbell County/Kelly Walsh winner vs. Cody/Worland winner – 5pm Winner qualifies for the state tournament.

Consolation Round:

Thunder Basin/Jackson loser vs. Natrona County/Sheridan loser – 3pm LOSER OUT!

Campbell County/Kelly Walsh loser vs. Cody/Worland loser – 5pm LOSER OUT!

Saturday, May 16th:

TBA vs. TBA – 10am LOSER OUT! Winner qualifies for the state tournament.

2 10am winners vs. each other – 1pm 3rd Place

TBA vs. TBA – 1pm 1st Place

South Regional Tournament at Rock Springs:

Friday, May 15th:

(#1 SW) Laramie vs. (#4 SE) Torrington – 11am

(#2 SE) Cheyenne East vs. (#3 SW) Green River – 11am

(#2 SW) Rock Springs vs. (#3 SE) Wheatland – 1pm

(#1 SE) Cheyenne Central vs. (#4 SW) Cheyenne South – 1pm

Semi-Finals:

Laramie/Torrington winner vs. Cheyenne East/Green River winner – 3pm Winner qualifies for the state tournament.

Rock Springs/Wheatland winner vs. Cheyenne Central/Cheyenne South winner – 5pm Winner qualifies for the state tournament.

Consolation Round:

Laramie/Torrington loser vs. Cheyenne East/Green River loser – 3pm LOSER OUT!

Rock Springs/Wheatland loser vs. Cheyenne Central/Cheyenne South loser – 5pm LOSER OUT!

Saturday, May 16th:

TBA vs. TBA – 10am LOSER OUT! Winner qualifies for the state tournament.

2 10am winners vs. each other – 1pm 3rd Place

TBA vs. TBA – 1pm 1st Place

Source link

Wyoming

Jackson resident Rebecca Bextel announces campaign for Wyoming governor

Published

16 hours ago

May 13, 2026

Press Room

Jackson resident Rebecca Bextel announces campaign for Wyoming governor

CASPER, Wyo. — Jackson resident Rebecca Bextel has announced her candidacy for governor, seeking the nomination of the Constitution Party.

Bextel, a small business owner, framed her campaign as a challenge to the established political system in Wyoming. She said she intends to provide a conservative alternative for voters who believe the Republican primary often favors candidates who compromise on their principles.

“My run for Governor as the Constitution Party candidate aims to allow conservatives two lanes for the same race, just like the Democrats,” Bextel said in a statement.

Her platform prioritizes energy production, Second Amendment rights, school choice and efforts to reduce government regulation. Bextel also emphasized a focus on election integrity, calling for voter identification requirements and increased transparency.

The announcement comes on the heels of a controversy during the 2026 legislative budget session in Cheyenne. In February, the Wyoming House of Representatives voted unanimously to form a special committee to investigate Bextel’s actions after she handed out campaign donation checks to several lawmakers on the House floor.

Bextel acknowledged delivering the checks, which she said were from a Teton County donor. She maintained there was no wrongdoing in “delivering lawful campaign checks” while at the Capitol. Legislators initiated the inquiry to determine if the actions violated the state constitution or constituted legislative misconduct.

While Wyoming House investigators cleared lawmakers of wrongdoing, Laramie County Sheriff Brian Kozak’s parallel investigation was still ongoing as of April.

Bextel previously served as a precinct committee person and state committeewoman within the Republican Party. She unsuccessfully sought the top leadership position of the Wyoming Republican Party last year. She said her decision to join the Constitution Party arose from her observations of political insiders and party machinery in Cheyenne.

The Constitution Party plans to hold a state convention on June 18 and 19 to nominate candidates for the general election ballot.

Others filing to take the seat Gov. Mark Gordon is vacating include Sheridan resident Gabriel Green, a Democrat, and Republicans Brent Bien, Sen. Eric Barlow and State Superintendent Megan Degenfelder. A fourth Republican, Joseph Kibler, withdrew his announced candidacy in April.

The primary election is set for Aug. 18. The general election will be Nov. 3.

Source link

Wyoming

Wyoming High School 3A Soccer Scoreboard for May 11-16, 2026

Published

1 day ago

May 13, 2026

Press Room

Wyoming High School 3A Soccer Scoreboard for May 11-16, 2026

It is the last week of the 2026 regular season for Class 3A girls’ and boys’ soccer teams in the Cowboy State. Only the top four from each conference will advance to next week’s state tournament in Gillette. These last regular-season matches could impact where teams finish in the league standings. That would shape the first-round matches at the state tournament. The week begins with a rescheduled girls’ match from an earlier postponement. The rest of the slate is Thursday through Saturday.