This Saturday, on the windswept plains of Mongolia, 35 riders will line up and then explode into action, galloping over the steppe. This is the beginning of the world’s longest horse race, the Mongol Derby. Participants spend 10 days traveling its nearly 1,000-kilometer-long route – or rather, “un-route.” They choose their own path across the vast Mongolian wilderness, occasionally checking in at rest stations to change horses. Riders may choose to sleep in tents at these stations, enjoying the local hospitality. Or they may prefer to sleep in the open under a night sky sprinkled with stars. 

These riders are following in the hoofprints of Genghis Khan and his ancient Mongolian warriors. Like those warriors, they have a mission. But instead of conquering the world, their goal is to save it. The Mongol Derby is one of several events organized by the Adventurists, a team of courageous, eccentric adventure-lovers. The adventures are for fun, but a noble purpose can make any experience more exciting. So participants must raise at least 1,000 pounds for charity to enter. At least half of this goes toward rain forest conservation, “so future generations have somewhere to get stuck.”