This article first appeared on the leading equestrian website Horsehero.com, but its appeal may well spread to the broader sports lover and pundit

In August 2011, the third edition of the Mongol Derby, the world’s longest and toughest horse race, thundered through 1000km of pristine Mongolia, catapulting (at times literally) another 23 riders into the Adventurists Hall of Fame, and with any luck, the Guinness World Record books. Organiser Katy Willings gives the inside track on this thrillng race….

Immediately after the race, I spent several weeks analysing the reams of data which came back from the Steppe, leaden with horse sweat and the faint whiff of goats, in order to bring you a less whimsical, and more informative blow-by-blow account of what happened this year, where the race was won and lost, and where it hung in the balance.

The beauty about the event is that no one individual has the full story. So much of the good and bad is privately enjoyed and endured, but nevertheless a coherent story emerges form the paperwork! I’ll mix key statistics with brief explanations, points of note and any lessons learned, and invite questions from the floor (in the Comments area below).

Race overview: The Mongol Derby was won by South African dairy farmer and endurance rider Craig Egberink by 2 minutes (a nose over 1000kms, surely?) from Inner Mongolian contender Sanbayier, first of a cluster of three Chinese riders who were a formidable team throughout. The field spread out over the first two days but though injuries and subsequent drop-outs, the survivors were more clustered than they might have been. All bar two riders fell off, most at least once.
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224 teams launched from Goodwood Motor Circuit in the UK on Saturday now joined by 87 teams from Euro launch in Czech Republic

A Robin Reliant, fire engines, ambulances, an American school bus and a tiny van with a complete garden conservatory on the back were among the comically unsuitable vehicles setting off on the 8th edition of the annual Mongol Rally.

The amateur adventurists face 10,000 miles of mountains, deserts and some of the world’s worst roads on their way to the finish line in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

Describing the launch of this behemoth adventure, the ridiculous vehicles, and the highly laudable fancy dress efforts of the teams is usually best carried out with the help of photos to adequately convey the glorious mayhem that has just begun.

2011 sees a team sporting full Star Wars storm trooper gear driving an ambulance. There are Vikings, a team with a roof rack made from an upturned bath tub that’s been converted into a furry yak with large horns, plus the first ever Mexican and South Korean teams.

There’s a team representing London Business School, a car covered entirely in purple fur, a number of solo drivers who saw their team mates drop out but have carried on alone, and of course the Robin Reliant. The Mongol Rally has been attempted in the three-wheeled vehicle before, but never successfully, maybe team MechSpesh will be the first to make it. The furthest a Robin Reliant has ever made it was Moscow, so cross everything for these splendid and spectacularly foolish chaps in their quest.

The launch in the UK included a lap of the historic race track at Goodwood for every team, watched by thousands of spectators. Up and coming band The Suburbians played on the circuit’s gallery overlooking the start grid and the paddocks crammed with teams and relatives.
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The Mongol Derby is a 1000km horse race, based on the horse messenger, or Morin Urtuu, system set up by Chinggis Khaan in 1224.  At its heart was a network of horse stations where messengers of the Khaan could change horses, take on food and rest before riding on at full speed on a fresh mount. The system was military in its original purpose, and allowed the Mongols to perform rapid and invaluable reconnaissance and change the rules of warfare forever, creating the largest land empire in history at astonishing speed.

We Europeans have much to thank the Morin Urtuu messenger system for.  In December 1241 a messenger of the Khaan delivered a vital dispatch to the magnificent General Subetei, as he crossed the frozen Danube and rode within smelling distance of Vienna.  On hearing of the death of Ogedei, the Grand Khaan, the Golden Horde immediately melted away, and returned to their homelands in Mongolia to nominate his successor.  In so doing they spared Europe the same devastating fate that had befallen lands from Hungary to Korea, Russia to Persia.  As fate would have it, the Mongols never returned so far west.  A slower messenger system would surely have found Europe already under the Mongol yoke.

On his travels home from China in the late thirteenth century Marco Polo wrote of the postal system, in awe of the efficiency and sheer scale of the operation.  “Never had emperor, king, or lord, such wealth as this manifests! For it is a fact that on all these posts taken together there are more than 300,000 horses kept up, specially for the use of the messengers. ….. The thing is on a scale so wonderful and costly that it is hard to bring oneself to describe it.”
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Ueli Steck, renowned Swiss alpinist and Mountain Hardwear-sponsored athlete known for speed records in the Alps, takes his era-defining speed style to the Himalaya. Ueli has summited the Tibetan giant of Shishapangma (8027-meters and 14th highest in the world) in a mere 10.5 hours, but it’s only the beginning.

Holding impressive speed records on the Eiger, the Matterhorn and les Grandes Jorasses, Ueli is now focused on the Himalaya bringing his light and fast, solo approach to the tallest peaks on the planet, and Shishapangma is only the first in what Ueli dubs Project Himalaya.

Ueli left basecamp at 5306m on Saturday April 16th at 10:30pm to solo-climb the southwest face and summit in just 10.5 hours. It is reported that just 20 hours after departure Ueli was back at basecamp recovering comfortably from the high alpine assault already thinking about what’s next up in the high mountains of Tibet.

Ueli’s success on Shisha Pangma can be attributed to his Olympic-level training regime he has followed the past three years, and the two months he spent this spring training and acclimatizing in the Khumbu region of Nepal. Using sprints up Lobuche and Cholatse as warm-ups for the real deal, Ueli is redefining what is possible in alpine climbing.

For the full back story, on-site video and insights into the unfolding chapters of Project Himalaya, visit: www.HimalayaSpeed.com

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Sam Gardner and Shonny Vanlandingham won the XTERRA Saipan Championship on a crazy, post-tsunami morning in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands on Saturday.

The two also won the XTERRA Philippines Championship last Sunday. The victory is Gardner’s third straight in Saipan, while it’s Shonny V’s first in three tries and ends Renata Bucher’s six-year win streak in the Marianas.

XTERRA managing director “Kahuna Dave” Nicholas was all over the course tracking the race, just hours after tracking the tsunami, and brings us this report:

On a most unusual day in Saipan, Gardner and Vanlandingham made it look easy.  Vanlandingham stopped the Saipan winning streak of Swiss Miss Renata Bucher and, for the second week in a row, finished second overall.

“I am a lot more fit this year than last” said Vanlandingham.  “There are a lot of important races early this year and my coach and I started getting ready earlier than normal.”  Being ready is an understatement as she finished just eight minutes behind Gardner.

The biggest news story was the huge earthquake the night before in Japan.  Organizers canceled the annual Friday night trail run as word of the impending tsunami started to spread (do not forget Saipan is over the international dateline, so it was Thursday night on the US Mainland but late afternoon on Friday here in Saipan).

The tsunami did hit Saipan but we were protected by the extremely deep waters outside the island that took almost all the energy out of the big wave.  There was literally no damage here unlike the devastation in Japan and the damage in Hawaii and the West Coast.  The impact the wave had on XTERRA was a pushing and pulling current typical of the phenomena.
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What a better place to explore, compete, and live (or at least make plans to) then at the Adventures in Travel Show. A consumer based travel show that hosts events in six cities nationwide. We (No Boundaries) attended an awesome show last March in DC. This time around landing in the ‘Windy City’ or better the wet, cold, and now blizzard ladened metropolis, Chicago. Weather did not detour hundreds of travel enthusiasts from packing the aisles at the Donald Stephens Convention Center. All gathered to talk of beach trips, safari treks, jungle adventures, and various cultural events. Travel agencies, tour operators, and tourism boards arriving days ahead to set up intoxicating displays of exotic places far and wide.

To spice it up further both days were packed full with seminars by well known travel advocates, live camel rides, world dance performances, and dives in the scuba pool. The travel seminars led by photographers, travel experts, magazine editors such as Rick Steve’s of PBS, Ralph Velasco Travel Photographer, and Beth Collin of Budget Travel Magazine all there to share stories and offer advice for planning the trip of your dreams.

I spent my time speaking with various tourism boards and tour operators. To learn of authentic travel experience opportunities and the importance for each country to share the culturally rich and beautiful aspects of their region. This supporting our mission at Adventure Traveler & No Boundaries to be a communication platform for the many positive aspects and connectedness we can all experience through travel. Whether it be for adventure sports, cultural exploration, or simply needing some time away from our everyday. I was also impressed and inspired to learn about the many great humanitarian projects and initiatives out there aligned with travels and to discover literally thousands of vacation opportunities all under one roof.

To finish my day I enjoyed the world dances experiencing each culture through unique costumes, style of movement, and diverse music on the global beats stage.

The Travel & Adventure Show is the longest running series of consumer travel events in the United States – a one stop shopping marketplace, where consumers and the travel trade will find thousands of travel providers offering unique vacation options and travel information. Plus, you’ll be able to access informative travel seminars, hands-on activities cultural performances and more.

Upcoming Adventures in Travel Expo dates for 2011:
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We thought this was a great video to start your Thursday morning!

This film was produced by Mark Fisher from a Fall 2010 Expedition to attempt a first ski descent on Shishapangma, 8014m, in Tibet. This short film was created through a collaboration between Mark Fisher, Andy Tankersely, and Eric Daft. Principal cinematography, timelapse photography, and still photography was shot by Mark Fisher. Supporting cinematography and timelapse photography was shot by Andy Tankersley. The film was edited by Eric Daft. Team Members were Mark Fisher, Andy Tankersely, Todd Passey and Kim Havell. Enjoy!

Ski Tibet short version from Mark Fisher on Vimeo.

13-year-old Jordan Romero has become the youngest climber to reach the top of Mount Everest. A spokesperson says the team called via satellite phone from the summit on Saturday. The previous record was held by then 16-year-old Temba Tsheri (Nepal). Jordan was accompanied by his father Paul, Karen Lundgren and three Sherpa guides. Jordan and the team were climbing from the Tibetan (Chinese) side of the mountain as Nepal has an age requirement of 16.

Jordan has now completed 7 of the 8 summits in his quest to complete the ‘Seven Summits’ Vinson in Antarctica is all that remains and the team has tentative plans to go after that late this year.

Congrats to Jordan and the team and safe travels on the descent and back home.

For those that are not aware of yet, Jordan Romero, along with his father Paul and Karen Lundgren departed last week to begin their journey to summit the Earth’s highest point, Mt. Everest. Of course, as many of you do know…it is by no means a ‘week long’ excursion. There journey began when they left the US en route to their final destination. This took them through Hong Kong and onto Kathmandu. From there, they had to load all of their gear onto vehicles and begin a 5-day drive to the Chinese border where according to Facebook posts from Jordan, they will have to unload all of their gear and reload onto other vehicles to continue the drive to Tibet. The most popular route for climbers is from the Nepalese side. However, the Nepalese government maintains an age restriction on climbing the mountain. The Chinese government does not.

Over the last year with the Everest expedition looming closer, there has been a lot of controversy about his age and his quest to climb Everest. There have been numerous other young people attempting feats that will set them apart from their peers. I think one has to look at each individual and consider each separately. Yes, there are risks with climbing Everest as there are risks in getting into one’s car daily. We have been posting updates and doing interviews with Jordan Romero since our inception in 2008. I have met him on numerous occasions and I have been witness to a young man as opposed to what I consider a typical teenager. I have twin nephews that are his age and they are by no means as mature as Jordan.

We wanted to give Jordan and Paul an opportunity to discuss with us their impending expedition and caught up with them while they were in Hong Kong prior to continuing on to Nepal. Take the time to read their answers below.

What have you been doing to prepare for this expedition? Long-term? Short term?

The lifestyle facilitates pretty solid preparation, and continues to inspire these adventures. At our place it’s eat/breathe/sleep adventures. Big Bear continues to be our base of operations, and coming off the winter of all winters, where this year we lived amongst enormous amounts of snow and winter/arctic blasts… well, it was good preparation for a Himalayan Expedition, to be living a pretty knarly winter is to stay in the good mindset of being in the elements and being on snow and ice.. We just had a solid good rotation of all the usual winter recreation, xC skiing, snowshoe, alpine skiing and heaps of backcountry trekking. Jordan has been on independent study which has allowed him to do marathon weeks of skiing, most often 10-14 hour days non stop, he and his buddies are nuts. So that is pretty good conditioning.

In the short term, we also took a pretty calculated approach to Everest expedition. We shifted from our usual ultra endurance style training, to a strong emphasis on core and power. New regimen in the gym, with plyometric and circuit training. We watched Jordan go from being a strong kid, to ‘adult strong’ in just weeks. He thoroughly enjoys it, additionally, we’ve got a new focus on the importance of the sports lab, and in depth analysis of lactic and mvo2 values. My only regret is not discovering the importance of this earlier, and now we have an amazing facility in Big Bear just meters from our base camp in Big Bear.

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I was in contact with Paul Romero late yesterday as the family is on the eve of their departure towards the Tibetan side of Everest. Jordan and Paul Romero, along with Karen Lundgren, are departing tonight to begin their journey towards an attempt on Everest next month.

I am sure that all have heard of the 13-year-old’s quest to climb the world’s 7 Summits (8 counting Carstensz Pyramid). Jordan has already reached the summit of Denali (North America), Aconcagua (South America), Mt Elbrus (Europe), Kilimanjaro (Africa), Mt. Kosciuszko (Australia) and Carstensz Pyramid (Oceania).

There has been a bit of controversy over the recent onslaught on young adventurers setting out to accomplish dramatic feats.

We will have another piece on the young adventurer’s quest in the coming week bringing some relevance to this issue with answers from both Jordan and his father.

Stay tuned.

Adventurer Lei Wang departs in less than 2 weeks to make an attempt on Everest. Born in Beijing, she says that she grew up as a typical city girl. She graduated with a B.S degree in Computer Science from Tsinghua University in Beijing followed by an M.S. degree in Computer Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. After working in the IT field for several years, she decided to pursue her M.B.A. degree at Wharton. It was there that she was first introduced to ice climbing and mountaineering and climbed her first glacier mountain in Ecuador (Cotopaxi). Upon graduation, she traveled to Africa where she reached the summit of Kilimanjaro.

She begin pursuing her dream of the Seven Summits and Two Poles in 2004. She has successfully climbed six of the seven summits and has skied to both the North and South Poles. We caught up with Lei with just days before her departure and got the chance to interview her about her current and past expeditions along with her motivation and inspiration.

What made you decide to do this series of expeditions?

It’s funny how life drops a few curveballs into your lap. These coincidences are what make life interesting! If it wasn’t for me seeing the movies “Touching the Void”, or “Women of K2”, I would probably have never discovered my passion for adventures!!

Likewise, as part of a MBA school program at Wharton I was first introduced to ice climbing and mountaineering, and climbed my first glacier mountain, Cotopaxi in Ecuador. When I graduated, I decided to head out to Africa and climb Kilimanjaro.. It was during that climb, I realized how challenging it was for me and how my lack of fitness almost made me fail. I love challenges and overcoming them. Remembering what happened in the two movies, I realized that I wanted to be one of them. A spark was ignited, a passion to accomplish what had previously seemed invisible or impossible. Without knowing “how”, I decided I “would” and show the world that others can do it to.

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Mountain Hardwear announces the recipients of the 2010 Expedition Sponsorship Program. Mountain Hardwear will give total of $10,000 to help fund five 2010 expeditions.

2010 Expedition Sponsorship Recipients

Latok I, North Ridge – David Falt, Krister Jonsson and Marco Koupiainen
The group will travel to Pakistan from July to August 2010 to attempt an alpine style first ascent of the North Ridge of Latok I (7145m), a 2500m climb comprising of complex, steep terrain through rock, ice and mixed climbing. The North Ridge of Latok I is one of the most notorious unfinished projects in the Himalayas. The team plans to carry enough supplies to last up to 15 days on the route, allowing them staying power to sit out potential bad weather. The team members each have roughly 20 years of climbing experience in Scandinavia, the Alps, Yosemite, Himalaya and Alaska.

Jankuth, West Face – Malcolm Bass and Pat Deavoll
From September to October 2010, the team of two will attempt a first ascent of Jankuth (6805m), in Northern India on the Gangotri Glacier. In September 2004, Pat, Malcolm and three others attempted the ascent, but were shut down on two different routes due to inclement weather. Inspired by Jankuth, the highest mountain left unclimbed in the Gangotri region, Pat and Malcolm will call upon the time honored Garwhal ethic of self sufficient exploration choosing a “fast and light” climbing approach.

Ski Kyrgyzstan 2010 – Nathan Rowland and Ollie Nieuwland-Zlotnicki
Ski mountaineers Nathan Rowland and Ollie Nieuwland-Zlotnicki, both current residents of Aspen, CO, will travel to Kyrgyzstan in May 2010 for a circumnavigation of the Al-Dyrtr and Kary Sars glaciers in the Tien-Shan Mountains with multiple first ascent and descent attempts. The project ventures into a remote area of Kyrgyzstan that has rarely been visited or explored.

Trek for a New Nepal – Allegra Fisher, Caroline Pihl and Sarah Mortati
Wilderness explorers Allegra, Caroline and Sarah plan to be the youngest women, and the first Americans, to complete a traverse of the Great Himalayan Trail in Nepal. >From November 2010 to April 2011, their goal will be to traverse Nepal from east to west while documenting the educational and environmental development potential along the newly created 1,600km Nepali portion of the Great Himalayan Trail.

2 Wheels 4 Education – Eleanor Moseman
Beginning in April 2010, Eleanor, a photographer who has been living and working in China, will attempt to complete a year-long, solo bicycle journey around Asia while raising money and awareness for two charities, Girls Education International and Stepping Stones China. She plans to document the journey through China, Mongolia and Russia through her photography, a book, and eventually, a cycling guidebook. Eleanor was inspired to raise awareness for female equality after noticing the obvious differences in rights between the male and female genders, and the disadvantages most females face living in China. www.2wheels4girls.com

THE TRUE FACE OF IRAN REVEALED

At 1300hrs on the 18th January 2010, after 60 days and 1700km, professional explorer, adventurer and speaker Mark Kalch completed a solo trek across the Islamic Republic of Iran from its northern border on the Caspian Sea to its southerly border in the Persian Gulf. Beginning in the coastal city of Chalus, he crossed the Alborz Mountains heading south to the capital Tehran, before continuing south-west to Qom, Esfahan, through the Zagros Mountains, and onto the Persian Gulf at Bushehr.

Mark trekked and climbed through subtropical forest, 5000m+ mountains, high plateau and desert landscapes. The aim? To reveal a country much misunderstood and misrepresented in the West.

Mark says, “Iran is not simply about demonstrations, nuclear ambitions and politics. Its people are some of the most hospitable on the planet and its geography some of the most extreme and diverse. After travelling across the entire country on foot and living with so many of its people I know this to be true”.

He continues, “Our view in the West of Iran has come about only through the narrow view of the latest breaking headlines. We do not see a country of people going about their lives in much the same way we do. I hope that having traveled the length of Iran on foot and meeting the average Iranian citizen, I can now help to expose the glaring similarities between Iran and the West.”

Mark slept in mosques, sheds, hospitals, fields, huts, homes, stadiums and of course his tent. He crossed 2 of the major mountain ranges on earth, the Alborz and Zagros, as well as Iran’s inhospitable central plateau. He was welcomed with open arms in every settlement, village, town and city he passed through.

For further information please visit www.markkalch.com/expeditioniran OR www.markkalch.com

For information on Mark’s previous expedition please visit www.expeditionamazonas.com

Mark Kalch is a professional explorer, adventurer and speaker who has completed successful and exceptionally difficult expeditions all over the world. The 2 most recent being a 60 day, 1700km solo and on foot crossing of the Islamic Republic of Iran (www.markkalch.com/expeditioniran) and a human-powered, 153 day, 6800km, source to sea descent of the Amazon River (www.expeditionamazonas.com). Mark’s presentations regarding these journeys have been given to schools and universities across the UK and Australia, Royal Geographical Society, National Geographic Society, public audiences and corporates. He has written numerous articles for print and online publications and has begun work on a book regarding his expedition in Iran.

We have posted numerous times about Jordan Romero, the teenager (just barely) who is out to climb the highest peak on each continent. Last fall, Jordan reached the summit of No. 6 by bagging Carstensz Pyramid (16,023 feet), Papua-Irian Jaya-Indonesia.

Jordan has already reached the summit of Denali (North America), Aconcagua (South America), Mt Elbrus (Europe), Kilimanjaro (Africa) and Mt. Kosciuszko (Australia). He has set records on several of these as well as the youngest to set foot on the summit.

So, what does that leave for the young mountaineer?

The short list includes Vinson Massif (Antarctica) and Everest (Asia).

After speaking with Jordan’s father, Paul Romero, the team plans to depart on March 28 for an attempt on Everest (North Side). This would make Jordan the youngest person to summit the world’s tallest mountain at over 29,000 feet. If they are successful with Everest, they will then turn their attention towards Antarctica in December.

In preparation for this feat, Jordan will be spending a lot of time training which includes some climbing on Mt. Hood and others. He has also set his sights on climbing the highest point in each of the 50 states. Of course, he has already climbed the highest point in North America (Mt. McKinley).

We will keep you updated on his progress as it develops.

Enjoy the short clip above of Jordan reaching the summit of number 4 of the United States 50 (Mt. Humphreys in Arizona).