Good to hear she's up and about again and doing well.

Sad that she had to shred the race, but getting to know the people more and learning from the other riders' strategies by staying involved in the race and watching is valuable, too.

Hey Trailer Trash,  One last post on this....  Devan is still in Ulaanbatar because her flight was cancelled, she'll fly home tomorrow.  However in the meantime she posted this on FB.

"Firstly, a huge thank you to everyone who followed and cheered me on in the 2015 Mongol Derby, an experience that has in no uncertain terms changed my life and been a most incredible journey. My heart got another taste of horse and horizon, and I lived my dream for 4 profound days. I know people have been curious as to what stopped my run for the gold this year, and would like to explain as best I can. For reasons unknown to me (though some guesses have been ventured), my body began rejecting fluids and food on day 2. Athletes wiser than I may have been able to back off and patch the issue, but being indestructible and invincibly 22, I pressed on aggressively. In all my journeys, I have always had "a little left in the tank" for an extra push, or an extra mile, and have never met a wall I couldn't crash trough with training or willpower. Unfortunately, about halfway through the derby at the end of day 4, having watched my urine change from brown, to black, to blood, and rapidly loosing control of my facilities, I made the agonizing decision that I needed help. I was transported back to station 12 where Prometheus, the medical team, set to work. It was an amazing effort, and it took the entire night, but they were able to stabilize me. The worst thing about that night wasn't the pain, or the fear, but listening to the other riders camped there get up at 6am and get ready to ride. My mind was screaming at me to get up, but I had finally found my body's limit, and could not rise. Shortly after, the medical team pulled me from the race officially. The decision was difficult, but one I had to accept. After another day of recovery under the eyes of the medical team, it was determined that I was stable enough to stay out on the steppe and support the other riders, as long as I took it easy and was able to rehydrate. At first, I thought my heart was too broken to do anything, but it turned out that was just about the only thing that wasn't. Despite my situation, following and cheering on the other riders was phenomenal. I thought maybe I could help them with lending out pieces of my kit and advice (which I did), but those sneaky buggers helped me a lot more than I helped them. From telling me their stories, to letting me help pick their horses, to asking advice, they let me stay a part of the ride and I will forever be grateful to them and the crew for raising my spirits when I was so hurt. I have so much to be thankful for and though this trip included some rough life events, I still count myself incredibly lucky to have been here. I'm looking forward to writing more about this year, and using my newfound knowledge to become stronger, and improve myself for the next time.  -  Devan"

Wow, what a fascinating account and conclusions of an amazing event, told by an exceptional young lady.

 

You can be very proud of her, Sandy!

+1

I'm sure this adventure has changed her and will make her thirst for new adventures even greater.  Sounds like you and your wife did alright with this one.