Annual Pony Express rides today

With the excitement of a Wild West motion picture - but without a shootout, the 29th annual re-ride of the Pony Express will enter Carson Valley today.

The re-ride is the longest-distance annual race in the United States, surpassing the Iditarod dog sled race in Alaska (about 1,200 miles).

Scheduled to leave Fort Churchill at 2:30 a.m., riders are allotted a total of five hours to reach Carson City's Third and Curry streets. If tradition holds true, the rider will be on time, or early.

"We always give a two-hour spread on the time of arrival," said Larry McPherson, immediate past president of the National Pony Express Association's Nevada Division.

Riders are scheduled to leave Carson City at 7:30 a.m. and should deliver the mochila at Harrah's Tahoe about 1:30 p.m. About 65 riders overall carry the mochila across the 403-mile section of Nevada.

"I love this. This is my passion," McPherson said. "We got new people in (the association) this year, it's very encouraging and they're excited about it.

"This is what I like to see, excitement from the people."

McPherson asks motorists to be cautious when driving near the riders on public streets and highways.

"We do have escorts from citizen's patrols and Sierra Intermountain Emergency Radio Association, among others," he said.

SIERA has accompanied the riders across the state for many years, keeping updated information on the riders and their location on the re-ride hotline.

Rider Bob Moore has been participating since 1978, and as far as he's aware, is the only Nevada member who has participated in all re-rides.

"I do this to keep the spirit of the Pony Express and marking and use of the trail alive," he said.

Moore, 83, will be riding "Slick," a quarter horse borrowed from another rider, Carl Malkmus. After receiving the mochila, Moore will ride to Fuji Park, then take another leg of the trail at Tramway, at the top of Kingsbury Grade to Harrah's Lake Tahoe.

This is the 29th re-ride of the 1,966-mile course of the historic Pony Express Trail. It runs from St. Joseph, Mo., to Sacramento, via Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah and Nevada. The run alternates direction each year, this year being from east to west. The mail was delivered via Pony Express from April 3, 1860, to Oct. 24, 1861.

• Contact Rhonda Costa-Landers at rcosta-landers@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1223.