Mongol Derby underway for Red Lodge's Hale, Manhattan's Griffis

Billingsgazette.com - Full Article

JEFF WELSCH jwelsch@billingsgazette.com
Aug 4, 2016

Now, they know the route.

After nearly a year of planning and a combination of fear and excitement, Kelly Hale of Red Lodge and Marie Griffis of Manhattan began a 1,008-kilometer horse race across the Mongolian steppe on Thursday.

Dubbed "The World's Toughest Horse Race", the Derby started about 200 kilometers southwest of the capital of Ulaanbataar. The 40 riders have 10 days to reach the finish line at Khovsgel Lake, in a national park almost due north of the start.

The route was kept secret until just before the start for security reasons.

"I’m just really excited about being immersed in their culture and not just being a tourist — actually relying on the nomads to help me out and to navigate through their country," Griffis told The Gazette in June...

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