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Re: [RC] Tevis - OT riders or "A Tempest in a Teapot" - Merri MeldeI believe the rider who was OT got off the main trail then lost somewhere on the last 4 miles. Connie Creech and her group saw him in the last mile or two, way off trail trying to come down a cliff toward them and they yelled at him, "Don't come this way!" By then it was probably too late to backtrack the way he had gone and get back on the right trail (pitch black, remember).Luck plays a great part in Tevis, whether you are an expert rider with an expert horse, or someone who just goes and wings it : ) (albeit on a good horse). The Tevis luck can go either way - either you have a great day and clear sailing, or you might waste two minutes too long on getting lost, stopping to help someone, hanging out at a vet check, walking a half-mile too long - anything. I think that any few minutes that riders in pen 2 or 3 lose waiting to get on the trail at the start you may have gained back by having a more orderly start, rather than trying to cram 200 horses together and try to shove onto the trail. JMO On Mon, Aug 10, 2009 at 8:57 PM, Diane Trefethen <Tref@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote: While the issue of time to complete is valid, it may not apply to 2009. ?For 2009, this may be a tempest in a teapot. ?The rider who was disqualified at 05:31:00 AM, may or may not have been in pen 2, may or may not have received his full 24 hours. ?Just because he was pulled at 05:31:00 AM doesn't mean he hit the finish line then. ?He arrived at the Lower Quarry with 6 other riders and every one of the 6 (including Merri, btw) finished at 04:56:00 AM. ?Maybe he did too and then couldn't get his horse's pulse down or maybe the horse was lame but not presented to the vets till 05:31:00 AM. ?Again, if Bruce is correct about pen 2 leaving at 5:16am or 5:17am, then if that last horse arrived at 5:31am, he would have been clearly over time. -- www.endurance.net/merri www.TheEquestrianVagabond.com http://theequestrianvagabond.blogspot.com/
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