Washing vests for endurance riders
By Judy Evans
@JudyEv (325818)
Rockingham, Australia
October 8, 2019 8:12pm CST
I volunteered to wash the bibs that the endurance riders wear when they compete on long-distance rides on their horses. I made a start on them yesterday and have done about half. The rest are now hanging on the line.
There is supposed to be an endurance ride in a fortnight but so far there isn’t much information about it. There is a final ride for the season early in November.
In between these two rides, the Blackwood Marathon will be held. This is a four-phase event involving five legs: a marathon (running 12 km), canoeing (8.5km), swimming (1km), riding (16km) and finally cycling (20km). There is a map of the course on the website so we might take a day trip and find a good place from which to take photos of the horse-riders.
Some people will compete in teams but some will do all four legs on their own. They’re welcome to it, I say, but it will be a fun day out.
24 people like this
25 responses
@JudyEv (325818)
• Rockingham, Australia
9 Oct 19
That would be true except that no-one passes by our house - not usually on legitimate business anyway. Mostly it would be young lads trying out their motor-bikes.
@crazyhorseladycx (39515)
• United States
9 Oct 19
wowzers! seems they'd a huge turn-out fer that ride, eh? ya must be feelin' better, fer which i'm most glad :)
sure hope ya do find y'all some good spots fer such, hon. those folks ought'a be mighty tuckered when done with that marathon, lol. i'm tired jest from readin'! 
1 person likes this
@crazyhorseladycx (39515)
• United States
10 Oct 19
@JudyEv phew, that'd be a relief, lol.
sure don't blame folks fer doin' teams either. i'd need somebody to do all that swimmin', e'en prior to health hiccups. e'en though i know how to swim, 'tis definitely not a fav 'f mine.
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@JudyEv (325818)
• Rockingham, Australia
13 Oct 19
@crazyhorseladycx I guess they get a great sense of satisfaction from their efforts but as I get older I do wonder if it is all worth it.
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@JudyEv (325818)
• Rockingham, Australia
10 Oct 19
The bibs aren't washed every ride. Usually they allocate a group of numbers to the 40 km, and another group to the 60 km etc.
Most of the Blackwood will be teams of people. Only a few hardy souls attempt to do all sections on their own.
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@Deepizzaguy (94552)
• Lake Charles, Louisiana
9 Oct 19
That is very nice of your part washing the bibs for the endurance riders. I like the bright colors of the bibs.
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@Deepizzaguy (94552)
• Lake Charles, Louisiana
10 Oct 19
@JudyEv That is what I wondering if your neck of the woods safety vests are called bibs.
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@JudyEv (325818)
• Rockingham, Australia
13 Oct 19
@Deepizzaguy Mostly they would be called safety vests but for endurance riders sometimes they're called bibs.
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@arunima25 (85328)
• Bangalore, India
9 Oct 19
That's a lot to wash. But it seems you have enough time to finish them all.
Blackwood Marathon sounds so much fun. Are you participating or you will only do the photography. Both ways it will be fun
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@JudyEv (325818)
• Rockingham, Australia
13 Oct 19
@arunima25 When I have something like this to do, I always like to do it immediately if I can. You never know what might happen if you leave things till the last minute.
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@arunima25 (85328)
• Bangalore, India
11 Oct 19
@JudyEv Good that you are done in time or much before time. You definitely will enjoy doing what you enjoy the most... Photography.
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@JudyEv (325818)
• Rockingham, Australia
13 Oct 19
Thanks. I hung them up in basic number order as they are packed away in order.
@moffittjc (118449)
• Gainesville, Florida
10 Oct 19
During the winter, my lifeguards all share our winter gear, as it is too expensive to outfit each of them with their own winter gear. So we have about a dozen sets of winter gear that about 50 lifeguards share (they don't all work at the same time, so the dozen sets is more than plenty for everybody on shift at a time). But because they all share, we try to wash them as often as possible to keep them clean. The clubhouse at our city golf course has a washing machine and dryer, so we are constantly going back and forth washing the gear during the winter.
1 person likes this
@DocAndersen (54411)
• United States
9 Oct 19
The vests are so cool! I assume bright yellow so the riders can easily be seen?
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@JudyEv (325818)
• Rockingham, Australia
10 Oct 19
@DocAndersen Yes, that's the idea I think.
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@snowy22315 (169973)
• United States
9 Oct 19
Nice of you, but that must be a huge task!
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@hereandthere (45651)
• Philippines
9 Oct 19
that's around 40 bibs already. i hope you get good pictures.
an individual taking on all four phases would have to be the toughest of the tough. usually it's running, swimming and biking only.
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@Tampa_girl7 (48964)
• United States
9 Oct 19
I'm sure they appreciate you volunteering.
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@JudyEv (325818)
• Rockingham, Australia
10 Oct 19
It's something we can do to help and with a washing machine it isn't a huge task.
@JESSY3236 (18923)
• United States
9 Oct 19
I'm tired just reading all that. I couldn't do that kind of marathon.
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