Yeeeehawww!!! If you were anywhere near that finish line today you either lost your voice, your mind, or both. Fourteen riders are in and what a wild ride it has been. With twenty seven riders still out there living their best cinematic adventure the fourteen who made it home have done their mates proud and given the world a show complete with suspense, plot twists, and questionable life choices.

Our top five riders came screaming in like they had somewhere important to be, throwing caution to the wind and gambling hard on passing the extremely low heart rate ruling we have set. It was less calculated endurance strategy and more riverboat poker with a stopwatch.

It’s been reported that when SWA and HMC decided to pump the gas to the line everyone locked eyes and collectively thought, “well here we go!” No one wanted to pull up and concede the lead but all were very aware they were about to bet their entire finish on a pulse check. As the herd hammered in hot VBU hit first, followed by RTO, then HMC, then SWA, and finally LJO by a neck. They all finished at 9:54am with only fractions of seconds between them. You could have blinked and rearranged the podium.

Just behind them was ASL, who felt her horse might not have that extra gear and who was absolutely hemorrhaging saddle pads. In a move that can only be described as chess while others were playing checkers, she hopped off and walked it in, banking on everyone else failing to pulse down. A game she almost nearly won outright and a tactical masterclass that earned her reserve champion and serious bragging rights.

Then came the longest half hour of everyone’s life. One by one our frontrunners realized they were not exactly flirting with pulse criteria. HMC and LJO clocked in at 60 and 59 respectively at first check. They needed 56. Close enough to taste it, far enough to panic. Into the river they went, doing everything short of whispering motivational speeches into their horses’ ears before hustling back for rechecks.

As 10:24am came and went we ticked off official times, heart rate penalties reshuffling the order like a deck of cards. Then it was HMC. Collective breath held. He passed the heart rate parameters. Clean trot. Gut sounds good. Hydration solid. And then came the surface factors infraction for significant rubs on both sides where his girth and fender sat. A two hour penalty. Just like that he moved into the 12:24pm finish time category. Brutal, clinical, and entirely within the rules.

Next up was SWA, who again could not meet the heart parameter. That left Lucy.

LJO has trained heavily in endurance to sharpen her game. Maybe it was luck of the draw. Maybe it was pure horsemanship. Maybe it was a secret sauce known only to her and her horse. But their heart rate came in at 55 beats per minute and the crowd absolutely detonated. We had our official winner.

With impressive composure ASL cleared the check to secure second place behind Lucy. Horsemanship over theatrics as she waltzed past racers who had crossed the line ahead of her and climbed the leaderboard like she owned it.

Our second place rider ASL had spent much of the race rolling along with SWA, an avid competitor. In a tangy twist, her softer approach gained her the reserve championship over her hard charging running mate. Sometimes slow and steady does not just win the race, it wins the after party too.

After our super six completed then came a tied seventh place finish for LHE and GVA. GVA arrived “fashionably late” to the finish line pizza party and may have claimed best dressed while also securing a top ten finish alongside 2023 Mongol Derby winner LHE. France and Sweden surely have reason to puff their chests tonight.

  Struttin in solo was AKE to nab ninth. She pulsed down, posed for photos, and casually used Mount Fitz Roy as her backdrop like she had personally ordered the lightly clouded skies for dramatic effect.

Then last to finish for today came a small cavalry charge as EMI, MRE, GRO, MMO, and KCU jogged in just before our 6pm end of day ride time. Nothing like a coordinated dash to keep the officials on their toes.

We could not be more pleased for GRO and MMO who made an impressive bid to crack the top ten after starting day two at the very end of the race. They clawed their way forward and claimed their spots with grit and pride.

And let us not overlook EMI and MRE who have ridden better than any pair of Aussie station hands could ever have, which is saying something.

KCU, hailing from Utah and no stranger to endurance riding, rounded out our top ten after logging plenty of miles alone and hiking even more on foot. A well fitted fifth wheel who made every mile count.

And while fourteen stories have already crossed the line, twenty seven more are still out there writing theirs. If today proved anything it is that this course still has chapters left, more gambles to take, more rivers to cool in, and more finish line drama waiting just over the next rise.

  Watch this space to cheer on the rest of the field as they finish between the flags.

Day 8:

Finish

AKE

ASL

EMI

GRO

GVA

HMC

KCU

LHE

LJO

MRE

MMO

RTO

SWA

VBU

At VC20

AMC

JDO

LST

MAN Adv Class

VST c/f Adv Class

At VC19

ACP

ADI

ARA

AGA

BWE

CHB

IDV

JBY

JBI

LBU

MKE

NMC

RAL

TOM

VBR

Between VC17-18

ACA

DST

GHE

HBA

NBR

ODU

Images by @tdogphotos