DERBY DAY

MAXIM’s resident gains guru takes on the longest and toughest horse race in the world…

Alexa Does The Derby might sound more like an OnlyFans promotion, but unless the idea of riding semi wild horses across 1,000 km of Mongolian steppe gets you going, I'm sorry to disappoint.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Mongol was the nerve system of the largest empire in human history, and at its height, Genghis Khan’s mighty horse messenger system connected half the planet. Over the last decade this ancient network has been rebuilt to stage the world’s greatest equine adventure the Mongol Derby. Each rider squares up to 1,000 km of Mongolian steppe on semi-wild horses, changing feisty steeds every 40 km. You navigate and survive on your own wits and skill, living amongst the herders carrying only five kilograms of what you deem absolutely necessary. For 10 days, it’s essentially you and your horse versus the wild.

From falling off and losing both my horse and ALL my gear in the first 30 mins of the race to battling heat exhaustion and riding through lightning storms to getting chased by wild dogs, getting shot at by tanks and getting lost in all the mountains ALL THE TIME, this race was by far the hardest thing I have ever done both physically and mentally. Here’s a brief summary of what went down and the biggest life lessons I learnt along the way. 

DON’T LOSE YOUR SHIT