Stepping up Mongol Derby prep with a to-do list, v2 (send help)

Spring semester concluded ten days ago. About 14 months from now, I will be travelling to Ulaanbaatar. It’s high time to start a detailed Mongol Derby to-do list. I did make a preliminary to-do list months ago. You can read it in my first post in this series: Mongol Derby 2027: Entering the world’s toughest horse race. In this post, I will start by revisiting it and crossing things off. (That’s the best part of making lists: keeping a record of what has already been done!) With that—and increasing nerves—as a starting point, I will make an updates list.

The first version of my Mongol Derby to-do list (November, 2025)

Completed:

1. Write a blog post announcing my entry (That first blog post!)
2. See a sports medicine expert about my hip
   • This turned into MRIs of my hip and lower back. The hip specialist decided my lower back looked worse than my hip. I won’t deny some lower back pain over long distances, but my hip is the most painful.
3. Depending on results of MRI, pursue appropriate treatment of hip. I expect PT and targeted strength training.
   • I did five sessions of PT. I learned new exercises that I have been implementing. After speaking with my physical therapist, I decided a personal trainer would be the best bet.
4. Write a sponsorship letter.
   • I have a generic letter that can be access here: Generic Sponsorship Letter. I also have an email introduction that I tweak.
   • Any suggestions for improvement would be greatly appreciated!

In progress:

Truly begun:

1. Prepare a detailed list of everything I’m going to need to successfully complete 1000km on horseback in ten days.
   • I have started to make lists! But it’s an ongoing process….
   • In March I published a blog post with an early version. You can see it here: Starting my Mongol Derby wish list.
2. Add testosterone to my hormone replacement therapy.
   • I did add testosterone for one month, but then stopped for a few reasons.
     • First, testosterone can affect eye health. I have optic disc drusen, and my vision got worse while I was taking testosterone. Afterwards, I asked an ophthalmological specialist about it. He said that testosterone was not going to make my drusen worse.
     • Second, I had just started a new exercise and stretching routine which was likely to confound any observed physical changes that could be due to added testosterone.
   • I plan to give it another go in a few months.
3. Figure out how to get and stay strong for riding long distances when my horse keeps breaking! This remains a work in progress.
   • As I mentioned in that first to-do list, I have brought Fantazia back in condition. She completed her first 50 in over two years at Cuyama Oaks. Right now we’re taking it easy, but she’ll do another few 50s in fall.
   • I had my first catch ride in California at Fire Mountain on Gretchen Montgomery’s Halle.
   • River has completed 150 miles this year, but her right pectoral muscle was sore after Cuyama, so she’s taking a break.
   • I will be riding William Davis’s mare Vega at the Feliz Cumpleaños ride in late June. (Vega goes Saturday; I’ll be looking for a ride on Sunday, if you have any ideas.) I’ve spoken with a few others about catch riding. That may be my best bet.
   • I’m thinking about bringing Dillon back later this summer, but he’s a long time from an LD.

Above: Riding Dillon up a serious hill in September 2024, just before he lost a fight with his fly sheet. He wouldn’t be ready for endurance, but bringing him back into training would mean time in the saddle.

Sort of in progress:

1. Hone my navigation skills. Working on it!
   • On Sophia McKee‘s recommendation, I downloaded the GeoCaching app. Big time fail in Bakersfield. I can find the geolocation, but not the stash!
   • I’ve also downloaded Garmin’s Explore app to practice navigating from waypoint to waypoint. So far it’s been non-exciting, because I know the land around me so well. I cannot possibly get lost.
   • I want to get involved with orienteering. Going to an event and/or joining a club are high on my list of priorities.
2. Look into flights and hotels. This is in the very early stages, but since I have looked at flights to Ulaanbaatar, I think I can put in here. It is started! I checked prices for this summer in February. (~$1,400). I discovered that it is cheaper to fly roundtrip from LAX to Ulaanbaatar and then roundtrip from LAX to Kathmandu that to fly from LAX to Kathmandu and then to Ulaanbaatar and finally back to LAX. (One of my college friends lives in Kathmandu.)

Not yet started:

1. Learn Mongolian. I am about to start. My first lesson is Monday June 1st!
2. Find insurance. I’ll ask American Fidelity when enrollment appointments happen later this summer, but I’ll probably need a specialized service.

Above: Partial panorama from a 12.5 mile hike we took yesterday. I have started navigating from waypoint to waypoint for practice. It’s hard to really get in the spirit of it when I know the country so well.

Updated Mongol Derby to-do list (May, 2026)

Obviously I will include the unstarted and unfinished items on my original list!

Still working on it:

1. Update my list of items needed for the Mongol Derby 2027.
2. Add testosterone to my HRT.
3. Spend hours in the saddle!
   • Related: Practice mounting from both sides of the horse. I’m not good at this.
4. Improve my navigation skills.
   • I want to learn how to use dead reckoning. I recently read Tim Finley’s interview in Practical Horseman. He completed the Mongol Derby in 2016. I met him briefly in Oklahoma, and then totally forgot. I searched “Mongol Derby” in Messenger, and a message I sent Tim in 2016 popped up! A quick google revealed that interview and its wealth of useful information!
5. Find flights and hotels.
6. Learn Mongolian. (My next blog post will be about my first steps in the language, courtesy of Language Trainers!)
7. Find insurance.

New items on my Mongol Derby to-do list:

Of immediate importance

1. Find sponsors!
   • This is absolutely the most important thing on my list. After a brief burst of contacting potential sponsors half a year ago, I let it slide. I really need to approach a variety of organizations, starting local.
   • Please let me know if you have any ideas for sponsorship! I am looking for both financial contributions and in-kind support. There is so much gear I need!
2. Find a personal trainer. I’ve been asking around to no avail. Next up would be local fitness centers.

Longer term goals

1. Build fitness. Yes, as personal trainer will help, but I can do much alone.
   • Follow my stretching routine conscientiously.
   • Improve grip strength. As I mention in my Mongol Derby Wish-list blog post, a strong grip makes riding strongh horses much easier.
   • Continue regular massage sessions with Angela at Springville Day Spa.
2. Interview more past Mongol Derby riders for my blog. (And for information–I learn from everyone!)
3. Start networking with future Mongol Derby riders–those that will be riding with me. I started to do this months ago and dropped the ball.
4. Beg, buy, or borrow an old Mongol Derby saddle. I’ve already asked on Facebook, but the only one I found was in Australia. I want to use one to prepare my equipment.
5. Acquire gear needed for the race (see my wish-list for details), and trial all of it with time to adjust and replace.
6. Get the rest of my ducks in a row. I’m the kind of person who always has a lot to do. Whenever I happen to have “spare time,” I immediately fill it with more projects. But the last few years have been particularly complicated, and not of my own choice. I need to be very organized if I expect to (1) prep properly for the race (2) have the time to arrive several days early and stay a few days after the race and (3) be able to afford the journey. Mainly, organization will give me the peace of mind needed to be fully in the moment the entire way.

Suggestions and advice are VERY welcome!

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