A seasoned Wyoming jockey, Dede Anders, 49, found herself abandoned in Mongolia after falling severely ill during the Mongol Derby, a 620-mile endurance race across the rugged Mongolian Steppe. Anders, a last-minute entry into the race, claims that race organizers showed a shocking lack of concern for her well-being after she became too sick to compete.
A lifelong dream turns into a nightmare
Anders, who had been contacted by race organizers in July to fill a vacant spot in the competition, arrived in Mongolia on August 1, eager to embark on what she once considered a “lifelong dream.” The Mongol Derby, often dubbed the world’s toughest horse race, recreates the horse messenger system developed by Genghis Khan in 1224. Competitors navigate through treacherous terrain over ten days, spending up to 13 hours a day in the saddle. However, shortly after the race began, Anders was struck by severe gastrointestinal issues. “I was throwing up and stuff like that,” she told the Cowboy State Daily. Despite her deteriorating condition, Anders was met with indifference from the race’s medical team.
Lack of medical care and compassion
Anders recounted her harrowing experience, stating that when she sought medical help at the base camp, the response from the medics was minimal at best. “Two medics looked at me. They told me I needed nothing but did nothing for me. They told me to ride it out,” she said.
As a U.S. Army medic veteran with a doctorate in medical science and emergency medicine, Anders was appalled by the lack of basic medical care. 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.”
Abandoned in Ulaanbaatar
After informing the race director, Katherine, of her inability to continue due to illness, Anders expected some form of assistance. Instead, she was driven back to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia’s capital, where she was left at a hotel with no further support. “They put me in a vehicle for eight hours sick with a GI bug, with a driver who barely spoke English,” she said.
Stranded in a foreign country without her passport or a return flight, Anders struggled to find a way back to the United States. “I had to call home and have my boyfriend book a flight for me because I didn’t have cellphone reception,” she said. The earliest flight she could secure was on August 11, leaving her in a precarious situation as she awaited her return to the U.S.
No response from race organizers
Anders, who paid nearly $30,000 to participate in the Mongol Derby, including an entry fee of almost $17,000, has expressed deep disappointment in how the situation was handled. Despite reaching out to race organizers about her ordeal, she has yet to receive a response.
“I didn’t even get my blood pressure taken when I was sick,” she lamented. The experienced rider, who had been making monthly payments of $900 to cover the cost of the race, now views the event as “kind of a mess” and “not very organized.”
Reflecting on the ordeal, she expressed disbelief at the lack of care shown to her by the race’s medical team. “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.”
As Anders prepares to return to Wyoming, she is left questioning the integrity and organization of an event she once considered a dream.
