Hi all
Thanks a lot for coming and visiting my Mongol Derby fund raising page.
I've got a little silly this time in the hope that it will help me convince you kind people to donate your hard earned money to some very worthy causes....this time it’s a horse race across .
The Mongol
To be exact, a 1000 km horse race across the desolate Mongolian wilderness. I’ll be competing against twenty-four other riders for victory in the longest horse race that has been devised. Having read the extensive warning from the organisers ( “Bleeding kidneys, broken limbs, open sores, sun stroke and a list of dangers longer than your arm stand between the you and victory.”) this may come down to sheer survival.
The course
This is no course you and I would imagine. It’s based on Chinggis Khan’s postal route – an enormous network of horse stations leading from his capital out to his far-reaching empire. The Mongol Derby riders will need to navigate from one horse station to the next across a barren, and very land-mark free, land. Getting lost is not an option as the riding weight (me and all my kit/supplies) is set 80k.
The jockey
Up until the beginning of this year, I had ridden around ten times since the age of 13. This makes me somewhat of an ‘outsider’ in a list of runners that includes champion race jockeys and Olympians. Since January I’ve been riding (and falling) a lot to get match fit. I’ve also taken to rubbing surgical spirit into my soft bits to get them toughened up in time for 12 hours a day on a hard, leather and very bouncy seat….
Did I mention I like winning?
The charityMercy Corps
Mercy Corps is a global charity that has been around for thirty years. Their mission is to alleviate poverty, suffering and oppression around the world through the development of secure, just and productive communities. With such a wide-ranging mission Mercy Corps find themselves working all over the world in situations that vary from humanitarian disaster zones, like Sri-Lanka, to longer term community development projects in some of the world’s poorest areas.
Over the past five years Mercy Corps has established a strong reputation across the vast Gobi region (where is!), and continues to work with business associations and local organisations to ensure robust economy that preserves ancient traditions.
Please do give as much as you feel you can, every penny counts!
Thanks a million.
Will
