{"id":109292,"date":"2025-09-02T14:23:09","date_gmt":"2025-09-02T14:23:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/109292\/"},"modified":"2025-09-02T14:23:09","modified_gmt":"2025-09-02T14:23:09","slug":"from-southern-maryland-to-mongolia-kami-bitting-finishes-top-10-in-the-worlds-toughest-horse-race","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/109292\/","title":{"rendered":"From Southern Maryland To Mongolia: Kami Bitting Finishes Top 10 In The World\u2019s Toughest Horse Race"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"KamiPhoto Courtesy of Photographers for the Mongol Derby 2025<\/p>\n

CALIFORNIA, Md.\u00a0\u2014 For Southern Maryland equestrian Kami Bitting<\/a>, crossing the finish line of the 1,000-kilometer Mongol Derby<\/a> was nothing short of surreal. Known as the toughest horse race on Earth, the Derby pushes riders across the Mongolian steppe on semi-wild horses with little more than GPS points, paper maps and grit to guide them. Out of 45 competitors, only 28 made it to the end. Bitting not only finished, but tied for fourth in her heat and ninth overall \u2014 an accomplishment she never expected.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy objective was just to finish,\u201d she said. \u201cPlacing in the top 10 was huge for me \u2014 I didn\u2019t expect it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"KamiPhoto Courtesy of Photographers for the Mongol Derby 2025<\/p>\n

Her journey began more than a year ago, when she applied among 200 U.S. hopefuls and was surprised to receive an invitation. To prepare, she rode 1,000 training miles on her own horses in the heat of Southern Maryland, testing gear and building stamina. Every detail mattered \u2014 riders were restricted to 11 pounds of gear and a maximum dressed weight of 187 pounds to protect the horses. At every checkpoint, veterinarians ensured each animal\u2019s heart rate dropped to a safe 56 beats per minute before riders could continue.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe horses\u2019 well-being always comes first,\u201d Bitting said. \u201cYou\u2019re trusting an animal you\u2019ve never met to carry you across unknown terrain. That\u2019s humbling.\u201d<\/p>\n

The race was not without its dangers. \u201cDay 4 was the hardest. At that point your body isn\u2019t ready, but you press on,\u201d she said. Her perseverance reflected a deeper motivation: she was riding for her mother, who is fighting melanoma. Bitting carried the Melanoma Research Foundation on her sleeve as a reminder.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy mom has been my biggest supporter. Having her name with me made her part of this journey, spiritually if not physically. It was important to raise awareness \u2014 it only takes a little sunburn to put you at risk.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"KamiPhoto Courtesy of Photographers for the Mongol Derby 2025<\/p>\n

Beyond the physical challenges, the Derby gave Bitting rare cultural encounters with Mongolian nomadic families who opened their homes each night. With only a few words of shared language \u2014 \u201chello\u201d and \u201cthank you\u201d \u2014 she relied on the kindness of strangers. One family, in the middle of hosting a funeral, still brought her food, cold soda and breakfast for the road.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey had no idea who we were when we showed up, but they were so welcoming,\u201d she recalled. \u201cIt shows you how generous these people are and how different their world is from ours.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"KamiPhoto Courtesy of Photographers for the Mongol Derby 2025<\/p>\n

Throughout the race, her husband and friends kept Southern Maryland\u2019s horse community updated on her progress, flooding social media with support. That encouragement, she said, helped carry her through the toughest miles. Though she didn\u2019t grow up here, she now calls Southern Maryland home and credits its equestrian network for embracing her.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love living here,\u201d she said. \u201cThe support has been incredible.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"KamiPhoto Courtesy of Photographers for the Mongol Derby 2025<\/p>\n

Now, with the Derby behind her, Bitting is already setting her sights on a new challenge: a 10-day race through Patagonia, Argentina, known as the Pass of Tears, where riders navigate harsh mountain terrain with only two horses. But more than the next race, Bitting hopes her journey inspires others to take risks for themselves.<\/p>\n

\u201cI appreciate all the support, but I think it\u2019s important to challenge yourself for you,\u201d she said. \u201cDon\u2019t be afraid to try. You don\u2019t have to prove anything to anyone else. By pushing yourself, you\u2019ll learn so much about who you are.\u201d<\/p>\n

From the steppes of Mongolia to the horse farms of Southern Maryland, Kami Bitting\u2019s grit and determination have proven what\u2019s possible when courage, purpose and community come together.<\/p>\n

\"KamiPhoto Courtesy of Photographers for the Mongol Derby 2025<\/p>\n

\"KamiPhoto Courtesy of Photographers for the Mongol Derby 2025<\/p>\n

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\n\tRelated<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Photo Courtesy of Photographers for the Mongol Derby 2025 CALIFORNIA, Md.\u00a0\u2014 For Southern Maryland equestrian Kami Bitting, crossing…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":109293,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[7840,1341,87,8029,30779,29458,42216,52994,9581,3004,52995,52996,101,52997,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-109292","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-racing","tag-community","tag-competition","tag-featured","tag-horse-racing","tag-horses","tag-marathon","tag-mongol-derby","tag-my-town","tag-race","tag-racing","tag-somd","tag-southern-maryland","tag-sports","tag-st-marys-county","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109292","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=109292"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109292\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/109293"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=109292"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=109292"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=109292"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}