New Zealand: Race through Mongolia dream for Bay woman

Stuff.co.nz - Full Article

MEGAN HUNT
Last updated 09:35, July 22 2016

Over 100 hours on a horse with a diet of boiled mutton does not sound like many people's idea of a holiday.

But the 1000km Mongol Derby across the Mongolian steppe has been a dream for Hawke's Bay woman Krista Donnelly since she first heard about the race.

Next month the 25-year-old paediatric nurse will spend between seven and 10 days competing the solo challenge, along with 40 riders from different countries.

The event, which follows a trail set by Mongolian ruler Genghis Khan in the 13th century, involves riders navigating their way between horse stations spaced at 40km intervals guided by GPS trackers.

"The horses are vet checked when they come in and we get a new horse every 40km, " Donnelly said.

"We ride the horses Mongolians use to race, they are small and fast, I would be taller than one of them..."

Read more here:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/82240902/Race-through-Mongolia-dream-for-Bay-woman