Endurance.Net 2014 Twenty Mule Team

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20 Mule Team

Ride Day - Photos By Elizabeth Funder

26th Annual Twenty Mule Team

February 22 2014

For 26 years, the annual Twenty Mule Team endurance ride has drawn riders from around the country to the Mojave desert in Ridgecrest, California. One of the premiere 100-mile rides in the winter (there's also a 65 and a 35 mile ride), it was started by Jim and Jackie Bumgardner in 1989; Robert and Melissa Ribley took over the ride in 2007 and continue to manage it.

Brandon Reed riding BA Resolute (aka Goliver) won this year's 100 mile ride in 8:51, by 8 minutes over Diane Stevens riding Banderaz LC. Brandon was first heavyweight, and BA Resolute also won Best Condition.

29 of 33 completed the 100. It's the second highest completion rate - 87% - in the history of the ride. 2013 saw 89% complete the 100.

Finishing 16th was Gina Hall on Fire Mt Destiny in 15:32 - Destiny's 19th 100-mile completion.

Elizabeth Funderburk and her gaited mare Eagle Eyes Miss Dixie, (known as Team Fixie, with a big fan club), and JayaMae Gregory, riding Foxfire's Little Britches, all finished their first 100 mile ride, coming in 23rd and 24th in 17:38. Katy Elliot riding Kodaakhrom finished with them in 22nd place.

The 65 mile ride had 36 starters and 34 finishers. Zach Rabow and RTR Rimfire won the ride, High Vet Score and Best Condition.

The 35 mile ride had 29 starters and 27 finishers. Justin Loewen was the winner.

Twenty Mule Tean 100 - Funder

Fundersgoodidea Blog - Full Story

Tuesday, February 25, 2014

So last weekend Dixie and I finished our first hundred. What a ride. What a horse!

I think I have to start back in January, when my truck started making a Very Bad Noise. You know how when you vacuum up a screw you hear that metallic racket as it works its way through the guts of your vacuum? Kinda like that. Extremely loud, metallic, and intermittent. The first thing I thought was oh god I have to fix this before 20MT! So for two weeks I shuttled Ron (I think the truck’s name is Ron Burgundy) back and forth between two different mechanics. Both of them eventually heard the noise, but they couldn’t reproduce it in the shop and they couldn’t find out what was making it. They handed it back to me both times with a shrug and a “whatcha gonna do?” look. Exploratory surgery on vehicles ain’t cheap.

I despaired, and I gave up on the ride. Took the ride entry off the fridge and threw it away. Posted that I wasn’t going. Cried and felt really, really horrible for days.

And people came out of the woodwork to offer me help. “Trailerpool with me,” “I will come down there and haul you myself,” “come borrow my truck” from multiple people. It was really astonishing, and the more I thought about not doing the ride, the worse I felt. I decided to go...

Unofficial Results

100 Miles

1	Brandon Reed	BA Resolute	8:51	Best Condition
2	Diane Stevens	Banderaz LC	8:59
3	Suzanne Ford Huff	DS Expressa	10:36
4	Robert Ribley	Mi Esmet	11:52
5	Jennifer Perryman	Roaster	11:52
6	Tom Bache	Kenlyn Scarlet	11:52
7	Morgan Bowman	Valleydateit	12:43
8	Jonathan Bowman	Montebello	12:43
9	Karen Chaton	Pro Bono D	12:43
10	Stacy James-Ryan	SFA Dante	12:58
11	Cathy Lefeber	Magnum's Red Baron	12:58
12	Shawn Bowling	Rushcreek Spur	13:35
13	Jordan Heald	Moon Gold	13:37
14	Georgann Hamilton	Phantoms Braveheart	13:37
15	Bill Whitlock	RTR Purple Sage	13:58
16	Gina Hall	Fire Mt Destiny	15:32
17	Tami Rougeau	Amazing Grace	15:32
18	Robert Weldin	Jozsef	15:32
19	Laurie Birch	Scudd Run	16:14
20	Nick Warhol	Forever Dawn GA	16:18
21	Gretchen Montgomery	Definetly Spice	16:19
22	Kaitlin Ellitt	Kodaakhrom	17:38
23	Elizabeth Funderburk	Eagle Eyes Miss Dixie	17:38
24	JayaMae Gregory	Foxfire's Little Britches	17:38
25	Cheri Briscoe	MMF Thunders Echo	17:42
26	Helen Eustice	DW Hardrock	17:42
27	Jacqueline Davis	Cheys Cocamoe Joe	17:55
Finish	Connie Creech	LS Shardonney Bey +/	17:55
Finish	Dave Rabe	White Cloud	17:55
Phylicia Mann	GE Honky Tonk Hector	Lame
Carolyn Meier	Rushcreek Okay	Met
Kerrie Tuley	RHA Ambersuns Raynne	Lame
Catherine Williams	Cash	RO