Dede Anders thought she had more time. 

After a lengthy interview process, Anders was selected to run in the Mongol Derby, the world’s longest and toughest endurance horse race, in 2025. But after another rider’s injury, Anders was called up to the 2024 competition a little over a month ago, upending her original plans.

In a little more than a week’s time, she will be competing halfway across the world against 49 other riders from around the globe in the world’s toughest endurance race.

The Mongol Derby follows what historians have called the empire’s nerve system: the horse messenger system created by Ghengis Khan that once connected over half of the world. Riding semi-wild Mongolian horses, competitors are armed with only their packs, GPS and backup, and must ride for 11 hours a day for nine days straight as they navigate 620 miles of the rugged Mongolian steppe. 

Adding to the grueling demands of the competition is a final wrinkle: Riders must swap their mounts every 25 miles at check-in stations where the horses will be vetted and checked over; riders who deliver their horse in poor condition will receive penalties; and competitors will receive food, aid and water.

For any serious rider, it’s the stuff of dreams, but to attempt it takes uncommon nerve, remarkable skill and perhaps a bit of madness, too. 

Fortunately, Anders has all three.

Diana “Dede” Anders was raised on a small ranch in Greybull and has been involved in all aspects of horsemanship since she was a child. She left home after high school, enlisting as a medic in the U.S. Army and received degrees in nursing before training as a physician’s assistant.

Last year, she achieved her doctorate in medical science and emergency medicine from Lincoln Memorial University in Harrogate, Tennessee. She resides in Powell and works in Saratoga, and it was at work that she first discovered the derby during a slow shift.

“I just decided to throw my hat in the ring,” she recalls. “I filled out a generic online form with The Equestrianists [the race organizers], who emailed and asked for video of me riding. I submitted videos of me barrel racing, then didn’t hear back. I figured I didn’t get it. In October of last year, I saw an article in another magazine about the derby and was so mad I didn’t even want to read it, but that night I got called. They interviewed me and I was selected for the 2025 derby.”

And while Anders has not ridden an endurance race before, she isn’t sure it necessarily matters. 

“There are so many contingencies,” she explains and ticks them off one at a time. “You’re not riding your own horse, you don’t have your own tack, you’re at other people’s mercy as to where the stations are. The terrain is like the foothills of our mountains here, so there may be frost in the mornings.”

During a Zoom meeting between race organizers and riders, she learned riders could identify as Adventurists or Competitors.

Adventurists, she was told, were not competitive, but rode with the crew and saw the same sights over the same course, which is similar to an option made available to riders who are injured and unable to continue in competition, wherein riders lose their ability to place, but are permitted to finish the course with the others. 

While enticing, Anders didn’t bite.

She will compete in-full and, though she does not know how many other riders will be riding in-competition with her, looks forward to the sporting aspect of the event.

“I’m just too competitive,” she said with a laugh. “Finishing is my first goal. I have brothers who will heckle me if I don’t finish, so that’s another motivating factor.”

For what it’s worth, Anders is in good company: The Mongol Derby has a history of Wyoming riders making successful — and historic — runs. 

In 2019, Cheyenne native Robert Long, then 70, won the derby, becoming both the oldest rider to compete as well as to win. In 2022, Jackson-based Deirdre Griffith tied for first with South African rider Willemien Jooste.

And while many riders would be dissuaded by the challenge of riding a semi-feral horse, Anders embraces it, dryly remarking that her own youth was ‘semi-feral’ by today’s standards. When she was a child, she would jump on any horse she could with her brothers, even if it got her hurt or in trouble.

“We were talking recently and one of them mentioned throwing me up onto a horse that knocked me off and broke my arm,” she says.

“I was so mad at him, but I didn’t even remember that until he said something. I’d just run over to a horse I’d never seen before [on the ranch], jump on it and ride out.”

Once she was old enough, she began cowboying and rodeoing as a barrel racer and team roper.

“I’m used to riding really sassy horses, it’s not unusual for my horses to buck with me,” she explains. “I’m not riding dressage horses that might feel frisky just once a year — mine feel frisky once a week. I’ve ridden all kinds and all flavors. I feel really capable so far as that’s concerned.”

Between her professional experiences and extensive horsemanship skills, Anders feels she’s in a good place, but she also believes the grit Wyoming demands of its people gives her an edge in the competition.

“Being [from Wyoming, I’m] used to the remoteness, [used to] knowing there’s no one to call,” she says. “We don’t have all the services at our disposal here. I mean, think about it, if you get a flat tire between Casper and Shoshoni, what happens? You can’t just limp into a service station a couple miles up the road. You have to figure it out.” 

Because Anders was bumped up to 2024, her prep time has been cut short. 

While she developed a training program, she also planned to attend The Academy, a training program hosted by The Equestrianists which would have taken her to Mongolia this July to view the course and get a feel for the land and competition. 

With that scrapped, she is now packing her stirrups and fenders. The rest, she explains, will be provided at the race.

“The only thing they require you to show up with is a helmet and water,” she says. “Everything else is up to you. I know people who have gone multiple times and bought the saddle they ride in over there, but with only a month and a half, I just haven’t had time.”

For now, Anders is putting her focus squarely on final travel preparations and bracing herself for the journey ahead. She was scheduled to  leave Aug. 1 and fly from Denver International Airport to Istanbul, then depart on a connecting flight that will bring her to Mongolia’s capital, Ulaanbaatar. Once in Mongolia, she will join her fellow riders for a series of training days ahead of the race’s start on Aug. 7.

Wyomingites are able to track Anders’ progress through the derby’s website.

They will also be able to make a donation to her charity of choice, the Cody-based Wyo Hoofbeats. The group offers equine-assisted therapies and learning programs to the elderly, at-risk youth and families.

“I’ve been in medicine for over 30 years and [Wyo Hoofbeats] are grounded,” says Anders of the program and its staff. “They have a lot of common sense and it’s amazing to see what they do. They bring animals to schools, nursing homes, people that don’t have the opportunity to be around horses. They let the kids talk to the horses and it really helps them to open up. We have a mental health crisis here and they’re filling a big hole in this area.”

To learn more about the race and track Dede Anders’ progress, visit equestrianists.com, and to make a charitable contribution to Wyo Hoofbeats, Anders encourages supporters to visit wyohoofbeats.com.