Looks like 70 rider. Is that right?
They are also live streaming 0n the FB page https://fb.watch/eiu2fL0IID/
177 entrants this year. It will be grueling; forecast is 101 and that means it will be several degrees hotter in the canyon.
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97 pulls so far. Only 80 remaining. I imagine it was 105-110 in the canyon.
There was a horse death, according to FB, but I can’t find anything about it online. Anyone can confirm or deny?
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61 finished,. Most of them traveled in a big group, finishing in the 4 to 5 am range.
Yes, one horse was lost, rider okay. There were some rockslide and dangerous footing warnings this year, that seems to be what occurred, Sympathies to the horse’s connections; was 4th last year, not a novice.
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Unfortunately, Suzy Kramer’s horse Steel was a fatality - that part is confirmed. I heard she was leading the mare on a section of trail before the Swinging Bridge and the mare tripped and fell off a cliff - that has not been verified.
My heart breaks for her. Nightmare fodder for sure. 
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Just for the record, Suzy Kramer’s horse Steel was a gelding.
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I managed to catch the live coverage of the horses crossing an overpass 7 miles after the start. The significant temperature change was mentioned, but I never dreamed it was something that would lead to so many dropping out.
I’ve seen old photos of the Tevis ride where there’s snow in the background on the mountain and they are wearing jackets. With the changes that are happening in these areas, why hasn’t anyone considered having the ride in a cooler season?
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It turned out to be much, much hotter than the forecast. 101 was expected at 4 pm, turns out it was 106, and 100 by 11:30 a.m.
I feel so badly for the rider who lost her horse. The high-level endurance people are incredibly close to their horses, and so hands on. She must be devastated.
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It was very hot already at the checks (I was crewing). Finish rate was a bit below 50%, so not that far off of a normal year. I think the problem with changing the date of race is that the high country (where they start) had snow as of three weeks ago. Since the ride traverses such varied elevation, riding in snow would be far more treacherous. I saw everyone managing their horses incredibly well, ample water at the stops, amazing horses, riders and crews throughout.
My rider was pulled early, she was caught up in a line of horses on rough singletrack through Granite Chief/“the bogs”. But it is what happens. I think she is already planning to try again next year.
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Suzy Kramer was on foot walking or jogging with Steel when Steel took a bad step or stumbled and tumbled off the cliff.
Steel completed Tevis last year in 4th place so was familiar with the trail. It was just a horrible, horrible accident.
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Another horse (and rider) had a bad fall and were airlifted out. The horse is at UC Davis and is recovering well. (Confirmed by UCD).
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Ugh I just saw that the airlifted horse unexpectedly passed today from his injuries (a bit over a week after being airlifted): link So incredibly sad.
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The worst nightmare. Thank you for the update, tragic that it is.
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I hate to ask but is a fatality or two common at Tevis?
If yes, do we really need to be riding this course anymore? Reminds me of eventing’s “WTF are we doing” thread. All for the human’s glory…
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just wondering Who pays for these airlifts of people or horses?
My son was in an auto accident, the airlift for him going about ten miles cost over $25,000. I can not even think of what it would cost to lift a horse out then fly it to a vet
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Fatalities are not an annual thing- the last time something similar happened and a horse died was over 10 years ago. But the falls of a cliff, the rescues, those are more common.
I think your question about continuing this course is a good one, though there’s approximately a 0.0% chance the endurance community is going to entertain it. The other reason I think your question is the right one is the roughly 40-50% completion rate for this ride; in what other sport would we look at half or more of the competitors failing and think that’s a good thing? In this ride, it seems the dismal completion rate is something that is celebrated. It’s that “warrior” mentality, that making it easier is wussing out or dumbing it down. Taking on an enormous challenge in partnership with a horse is certainly why a lot of people love endurance. But I don’t see many people asking how hard is too hard. Two horses dying by being placed in such a precarious position, to me, means it’s time to start asking the question of how hard is too hard.
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I do not know who covered the cost of the horse life flight. I know that UC Davis VERT team appreciates any opportunity to gain further experience.
In the past riders had the option to obtain airlift insurance, to avoid paying for an airlift, which at the time was about $15,000. Have no idea of what is currently in place.
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I was transported to the nearest trauma center 2 years ago. About 55 miles by air, actually in the air for 13 minutes. The bill for the air med was $59,600. The ambulance to get me 4 miles to the landing site was $600.
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