Medics Blog – by Sheila Loughman Horse station 10 was eventful. The previous night James and I had been monitoring and treating a rider who had developed signs of urinary sepsis and dehydration. I was woken at 6.10am by a rider who had been sharing his ger calling from outside...

Medic’s Blog by Deborah Swann Yesterday was an eventful day for Medic 1 and one particular rider. We have permission from the rider to detail what happened. Medic 1 was stationed at HS5 when, at 1720 there was a call to us from Derby HQ, that there was a rider...

Medic 2 Late last night we received a message from HQ that two riders had come into the horse station behind us after dark, feeling unwell with suspected dehydration. We set our alarms for 0600 to make our way back to the riders to assess them. The riders were both...

Last night saw us at horse station two - a very windy and dusty evening sorting kit and getting bedded down for the night. Many of the riders were stiff and sore; some with minor injuries and abrasions but pretty much all sorted with advice, plus / minus simple analgesia...

Our team “Medic 2” spent last night at Horse Station 3. It was really busy with so many riders looking for floor space that the host family ended up putting up a new ger, just before the sun went down. We crew members stayed in our tents a little way...

Medic’s blog 2 by Deborah Swann Day 1 of the Mongol Derby 2014 has started with a first; all of the riders were at the start line and got way in true style. In previous years we have lost riders at the practice camp through injuries. Despite a party last...

Medic 2 (James Hubbard/Dr. Sheila Loughman) After an evening of Mongolian entertainment and hospitality, crew and riders were up at 7am for the start of the big day, the race start! After a few hours of typical Mongolian time keeping and following the traditional blessing of the riders and horses,...

Sheila - Medics Blog August 5th Day 2 Start Camp It was unusually cold overnight, without any cloud, so the perfect opportunity for stargazing in a completely dark landscape. I hadn't realised how dark until I got lost trying to find my way back to my ger. The ger, for...

The first few days of the Mongol Derby 2014 have been incredibly busy, but great fun. Most of the international crew met at Heathrow on day one before our 24 hour journey to Ulan Baatar (UB). It was fantastic for James and myself to catch up with old friends from...

For Medic 1, today started like so many others with an early wake up, a less than appealing breakfast and the morning routine of turning on trackers and packing the vehicle ready to roll for when the riders set off. This morning, however, things were a little simpler from a...

“Types of Fun” As the heat of the sun begins to take hold on the steppe this morning, a group of 8 of the remaining 13 riders peel themselves out of their improvised beds and struggle onto their horses at Urtuu 22, knowing that they (only) have 120km left until...

Yesterday started pleasantly with breakfast and tea provided by the herders we were staying with. It was a typical Mongolian breakfast of mutton soup, stale bread and ‘butter’. Yum. We slowly made our way along the race line to stay in close proximity to the lead riders to ensure they...