• Carolyn Dawson finished last in the 100-mile race, some seven hours behind the three leaders. But at age 70, Dawson, Bishop, Calif., enjoyed the ride as much as anyone and was just as proud of her horse, Orzo. “It was magical out there at night!” she said. “I kept finding myself with this mad grin on my face.”
• Cody Boysen, 24, of Sidney, Iowa, won Friday’s 50-mile ride with Sweete Legacy in 5:23:10. Boysen is a relative newcomer to endurance, with 665 miles over three seasons. “I like endurance because it’s the biggest challenge I’ve ever done,” he said. “You have to know your horse 100 percent—know how to ride her, pace her and take care of her. You have to do it all yourself.”
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• In Saturday’s 50-mile ride, Jan Marsh, Canmore, Alta., narrowly won with Morning Line on a time of 5:14:00. Marsh didn’t get an FEI completion due to a slight lameness at her 10-minute CRI, but she was able to present for an AERC completion within an hour and received the win.
• Michael Thomas, of Cool, Calif., won Sunday’s 50-miler aboard Kasino GM. Thomas remembered well the date of his first endurance ride: July 21, 2007. His girlfriend Luanne Holmsen talked him into the 80-mile ride, and while it was five months before he tried another endurance ride after that experience, he still confessed, “I’m hooked!”
