Richmond endurance rider Camille Champagne Bargenquast braved nine days of harsh elemental conditions to realise her ambition of completing the 1000km Mongol Derby on Friday morning.
The derby isn’t known as the worlds longest and toughest horse race for no reason as Camille was in the saddle for up to 13 hours a day and camped out most nights in particularly poor conditions which ranged from extreme heat to torrential rain and freezing cold.
The course recreates Chinggis Khaan's legendary empire-busting postal system which sees riders changing horse every 40km, living with herders or camping under the stars.
In 2010, the Mongol Derby achieved the Guinness World Record title of longest multi-horse race.
Over the course of her journey (which forced the retirement of 14 riders) through the Mongolian Steppe she rode at least 27 horses before crossing the finish line in joint 11th position.
A full account of Camille’s ride will appear in an upcoming edition of the Register.