2013 Tevis Cup

Saturday July 20 2013

75 of the 160 horse/rider pairs finished this year's hot Tevis Cup across the Sierra Nevada mountains. The finishing rate is usually around 50% for this tough 100-mile ride; this year's heat - the canyons were rumored to be 118°F - had a hand in this year's below-average rate.

5th place finisher Kevin Myers, riding Auli Farwa, called the ride "hellishly hot and humid."

Even as a reporter for Endurance.net, the heat fried my brain, especially since I had a cold (! - ridiculous!) to boot. I erased all my photos, from TWO cameras, that I took at Robinson Flat, the first hour hold vet check at 36 miles, and I don't remember doing it. Alas.

But here are some photos from Foresthill, the second hour-hold at 68 miles.

Up top:
Eventual 13th place finisher Willemina De Boer and Frisia Mameluk leave Foresthill.


The 'Two Jennies,' Jennifer Waitte riding M Dash Czoe, and Jenni Smith riding M Dash Stellar (both mares owned by Waitte), arrive in first place at Foresthill. The two would end up finishing 2nd and 3rd in Auburn at 10:29 PM, 17 minutes after the winner.


Amanda and Leslie crewing Kevin Myers' Auli Farwa at Foresthill. They finished 5th, at 10:58 PM.


Auli Farwa has such an expressive face!


Winners Rusty Toth and Take a Break trotting out for the vets at Foresthill.


Eventual 2nd place finisher Jennifer Waitte and M Dash Czoe trotting through 'downtown' Foresthill in first place on the last third of the Tevis trail.


Rusty Toth and Take a Break, and Kevin Myers and Auli Farwa canter out of 'downtown' Foresthill in 2nd and 3rd place, 2 minutes behind Waitte.


Karen Donley (with her son John, not pictured) canter out of 'downtown' Foresthill in 5th and 6th place, 8 minutes behind Waitte.


Eventual 8th place finishers - and Haggin Cup (Best Condition) winners - Sue Hedgecock and LZP Julioslastchance wait to leave Foresthill.


I love this picture of Karen Chaton (34,000+ endurance miles) and her horse Probono D at Foresthill vet check. Karen is always smiling. They finished in 25th place at 4:26 AM, for Karen's 5th Tevis buckle and Bo's 3rd.


An exciting sign: If you see this from the back of your horse, that means you have completed 2/3 of the Tevis trail, and are heading out of Foresthill on your last third!


The Magic Tevis Dust, which nobody ever seems to want to wash off their vehicles. (including me! it's still on there)

For the full Tevis stories, see:

Part I http://merritravels.endurance.net/2013/07/the-mythical-tevis-cup-2013-part-i.html

Part 2: http://merritravels.endurance.net/2013/07/the-mythical-tevis-cup-2013-part-2.html


For more photos and eventual videos, see:
http://www.endurance.net/international/USA/2013Tevis/