70-year-old wins 1,000km horse race in Mongolia
It's believed to be the longest horse race in the world as per Guinness World Records.
MONGOLIA (Reuters) - A 70 year-old American man won the Mongol Derby earlier this month (August 14).
The 1,000-kilometre horse race is believed to be the longest in the world, according to the Guinness Book of World Records.
Experienced horseman Robert (Bob) Long won long-distance races before but he had never been to Mongolia and was one of 42 riders from 12 countries taking part in the contest.
Long changed horses 28 times during the race. At each horse station the small Mongolian horses were checked by vets and all his horses vetted cleanly throughout the race, meaning he received no veterinary time-penalties. At the finish line, he was greeted by well wishers and Mongolian herdsmen before receiving a traditional scarf and a drink of fermented mare’s milk, known locally as airag.
Organisers say his ride was "one of the most impressive performances seen in the history of the Derby".
Long said that throughout the race he carried a picture of himself as a child on a horse that was taken by his mother, who died recently.
