{"id":4051,"date":"2014-09-07T06:50:23","date_gmt":"2014-09-07T10:50:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kerryhannon.com\/?p=4051"},"modified":"2014-09-07T06:50:23","modified_gmt":"2014-09-07T10:50:23","slug":"barbara-smith-riding-in-the-worlds-toughest-horse-race-at-61","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kerryhannon.com\/?p=4051","title":{"rendered":"Barbara Smith: Riding in the World’s Toughest Horse Race at 61"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"mongol-derby\"<\/a>
Barbara Smith in The Mongol Derby Photos courtesy of Barbara Smith, Richard Dunwoody and The Adventurists<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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How\u2019s this for a 61st<\/sup>\u00a0birthday present for yourself? You ride in a grueling, eight-day, 1,000-kilometer horse race (about 625 miles or so) in Mongolia that\u2019s billed as \u201cthe longest and toughest horse race in the world.\u201d\u00a0The Mongol Derby<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

That\u2019s exactly what a friend of mine, fellow equestrian Barbara Smith, just did, astride a series of 28 semi-wild ponies, traversing unfamiliar and difficult terrain, high mountain passes, rivers and desert dunes.<\/p>\n

Why?!<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat really caught my eye is that it finished on my birthday, August 16th<\/sup>,\u201d Smith told me. \u201cAnd I thought, \u2018Oh, I turn 61 on August 16th<\/sup>. This is something I should do.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

(MORE<\/strong>:\u00a0Get More Out of Life as a \u2018New Senior Woman\u2019<\/a>)<\/p>\n

A Challenge That Helps a Charity<\/strong><\/p>\n

There was also a philanthropic angle that appealed to her.<\/p>\n

The Adventurists<\/a>, the free-spirited United Kingdom group that started the race in 2009, asks each participant to raise a minimum of \u00a31000 (or about $1,300) for charity. At least \u00a3500 (roughly $660) gets earmarked for\u00a0Cool Earth<\/a>, a rainforest-preservation nonprofit, and the rest goes to a charity of the rider\u2019s choice. Smith raised $2,000.<\/p>\n

Smith, a married mother of three from Lothian, Md., always thought about doing \u201cone of those extreme \u201cAmazing Race\u201d-type things,\u201d she told me. \u201cBut the reality is I can\u2019t swim or climb mountains or scuba dive, and I don\u2019t want to eat bugs\u2026.but I\u00a0can<\/em>\u00a0ride a horse.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s for sure. Smith \u2014 who breeds thoroughbreds for racing and is a hunt staff member at the prestigious\u00a0Marlborough Hunt Club<\/a>\u00a0in southern Maryland \u2014 rode the Derby at a clip of roughly 90 miles a day\u00ad, \u00admost of it at full gallop.<\/p>\n

READ ARTICLE ON NEXT AVENUE HERE<\/a><\/p>\n

Why Smith’s Story Resonates<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019m telling you about Smith because I\u2019m captivated by what she accomplished at 60\/61 (the oldest rider in the Mongol Derby); because it\u2019s an incredibly cool thing to do no matter how old you are; and because I thought her story could spur you to think about what you might do to stir\u00a0your\u00a0<\/em>passion<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0purpose<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Smith\u2019s experience is an extraordinary example of what I write, and talk to my compatriots over 50, about all the time. At this stage of our lives, I believe, we must all challenge ourselves to do things that scare us a little personally and professionally.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s how you find joy and\u00a0meaning<\/a>,\u00a0stay engaged<\/a>\u00a0and energize and make a difference in the world.<\/p>\n

Smith says she decided to enter the Mongol Derby \u201cto prove to myself I could \u2014 that I was still able to do something physically demanding.\u201d She\u2019s glad she challenged herself to ride in the race, but adds: \u201cI would never do it again.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Health Benefits of Bonding<\/strong><\/p>\n

There was also another aspect to Smith\u2019s adventure that experts say is very useful for\u00a0healthy aging<\/a>: finding opportunities to interact with people from different cultures and who are different ages. This year\u2019s Mongol Derby drew 48 men and women, age 20 to 60, hailing from 16 countries. Their occupations were wildly diverse: from an insurance agent to an anesthesiologist to a fashion designer.<\/p>\n

Smith has had a love affair with horses since childhood (\u201cMy parents said \u2018horse\u2019 was my first word\u201d) and galloped racehorses for 20 years to make a living until stopping to raise her family.<\/p>\n

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How Smith Entered The Derby<\/strong><\/p>\n

In truth, she wasn\u2019t actively seeking a daunting challenge like the Mongol Derby. It was serendipity.<\/p>\n

Smith applied to be a contestant on a whim after hearing about the race from a 32-year-old aerospace engineer who\u2019d entered. Katy Willings, the race chief, called to say she thought Smith was a good candidate. \u201cShe didn\u2019t think my age was a problem. Someone who was 64 had done it. But she wanted me to understand that it was a race, not pony trekking,\u201d says Smith.<\/p>\n

One glance at The Adventurist site will tell you that. \u201cYour chances of being seriously injured or dying as a result of taking part are high,\u201d it warns.<\/p>\n

Smith prepared by riding 25 miles every other day for four months. She bought the suggested long-distance gear (including seamless riding tights, fleece-lined at the knees and crotch) and carefully planned out her saddlebag\u2019s 11-pound carry-on limit (stuffing in a sleeping bag, sunscreen, protein bars and an extra set of clothes). All riders would also get satellite tracking devices and an emergency beacons.<\/p>\n

The course is intended to replicate Genghis Khan’s legendary long-distance horse relay postal system devised in 1224 \u2014 a key to the expansion of the Mongolian Empire. Led by a bodyguard, postal riders would gallop more than 100 miles to a morin urtuu (a relay station), where another guide would be waiting with a fresh horse.<\/p>\n

The 2014 Mongol Derby course consisted of 25 urtuus, each with a small collection of gers (canvas and felt tents the herders lived in), a supply of fresh horses, a vet and medic team and a few herders. Exactly how a rider navigated between each station was up to him or her.<\/p>\n

Tense Moments in the Race<\/strong><\/p>\n

Soon after the race began, nine riders galloped to the front. Smith was one of them. As the Derby progressed, though, Smith had some tense moments.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome of the horses would bolt out of their stations completely out of control for 20 kilometers and you were just hanging on. I can pretty much ride any kind of horse, but that was scary,\u201d she recalls.<\/p>\n

Eleven riders didn\u2019t complete the race. Two injured men left by helicopter medevacs.<\/p>\n

\u201cPhysically, it was probably the most demanding thing I\u2019ve ever done,\u201d says Smith. \u201cI ride a lot. I really push the limit, but this was by far the hardest.\u201d Smith was thrown twice. Once she was bucked off and another time, her horse fell when the ground gave away under him.<\/p>\n

\"Mongolderby_3009942b\"<\/a>One evening, heading into the final station of the day, Smith and her fellow front riders took a high pass through a mountain ridge. \u201cThere was a storm coming, and we were being pelted with hail,\u201d she recalls. \u201cThere was lightening. I looked over to my left, and three wolves were watching us \u2014 two big black ones and a gray one sitting on the hill. We made it in by the skin of our teeth that night. It was incredible.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another woman, 40-year old Australian mining operator Sam Jones, won the race. \u201cShe came to win,\u201d says Smith. \u201cShe had enough goodies packed that she didn\u2019t need to stop to eat when we changed horses. She would just get on her next horse and go.\u201d<\/p>\n

But Smith wasn\u2019t far behind at the finish line. She finished ninth.<\/p>\n

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Smith’s Reflections on the Experience<\/strong><\/p>\n

I asked Smith to share a few thoughts about her ride:<\/p>\n

Her biggest reward:<\/strong>\u00a0\u201cMy three kids (Sam, 29, Sarah, 27, and Will, 24) told me they were really proud of me. That brought a tear to my eye. You tell your kids you\u2019re proud of them all the time, but when they finally say we\u2019re really proud of you, that hits you. They were really into me going, but before I left, the only thing they all said was, \u2018Don\u2019t die, Mom.\u2019 It was a little bit of a serious note there. When I returned, Sam asked: \u2018Mom, do you realize you galloped from Baltimore to Chicago?\u201d<\/p>\n

(MORE<\/strong>:\u00a0How to Be a Role Model for Your Adult Children<\/a>)<\/p>\n

How it felt at the end:<\/strong>\u00a0\u201cI was absolutely exhausted. There were a lot of young people riding, so when the race was over there was a lot of partying, a lot of vodka. I bowed out of that. I\u2019m kind of past that point in my life.”<\/p>\n

Her proudest accomplishment:<\/strong>\u00a0\u201cI finished in the Top 10. I did better than a lot of those decades younger than me.\u201d<\/p>\n

The lessons she learned:<\/strong>\u00a0\u201cYou know, you really can do just about anything you set your mind to do. You really can. I proved that to a lot of the younger riders. For many of them, I became sort of their pet hero. It was fun. They kept saying, \u2018I can\u2019t believe you did this\u2026.We want to be just like you when we grow up.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Her advice:<\/strong>\u00a0Just do it! I said to myself: Why not? I\u2019m healthy, this is what I want to do and I can do it now. In 10 years, I won\u2019t be able to, probably.\u201d<\/p>\n

My Reality Check on the Mongol Derby<\/strong><\/p>\n

And now, a reality check from me: Smith\u2019s bucket list adventure came with a hefty price tag. The entry fee was about $13,000; when she added in her gear and travel costs, Smith figured she spent close to $20,000.<\/p>\n

I gulped when she told me that, but it reminded me of advice I doled out to my nephew when he graduated from college last year. Splurge a bit on life experiences, I said. Sometimes, spending for fun stuff pays dividends.<\/p>\n

As my father always said about money, \u201cYou can\u2019t take it with you.\u201d<\/p>\n

posted by\u00a0Kerry Hannon<\/a>, August 28, 2014\u00a0More by this author<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Barbara<\/p>\n

Kerry Hannon has spent more than 25 years covering personal finance for Forbes, Money, U.S. News & World Report and USA Today. She is the author of\u00a0What’s Next? Follow Your Passion<\/em><\/a>and Find Your Dream Job in Your Forties, Fifties and Beyond<\/a>;<\/em>\u00a0Great Jobs for Everyone 50+<\/a>\u00a0andSuddenly Single: Money Skills for Divorcees and Widows<\/em><\/a>. Her website is\u00a0kerryhannon.com<\/a>. Follow her on Twitter\u00a0@kerryhannon<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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