Two UAE endurance riders make history in 1000 km 'Mongol Derby'

Two UAE endurance riders Sheikh Khalifa Al Hamed and Issa Al Khiyari concluded their historic participation in the “Mongol Derby” endurance race by tying for first place with American rider Michael Pollard and British rider Anna Boden. 

The world's greatest equine adventure race, covering a distance of 1,000 km, was held over eight days from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., making it the longest in the world for this distance. It began on August 4 and will culminate with the awards ceremony on Wednesday.

Sheikh Khalifa Al Hamed stated that reaching the finish line with his fellow rider Issa Al Khiyari was an achievement in itself, given the extremely challenging conditions and great obstacles. These included varied terrains, mountain passes, green valleys, rolling hills, plains, sand dunes, and riverbeds.

He explained that they were determined to continue the race until the end to demonstrate the capabilities of Emiratis in facing challenges, and not to withdraw from such a difficult competition despite the circumstances during the race. Meanwhile, dozens of riders withdrew at various stages due to exhaustion and difficulties in handling the Mongolian horses, with the rest of the participants failing to reach the finish line after eight days. 

Sheikh Khalifa Al Hamed revealed that the daunting challenge they faced was handling the unfamiliar Mongolian horses—unlike other races where the rider competes with their own horse. In addition, staying on horseback for about 12 hours a day made simply reaching the finish line a major accomplishment in their first-ever participation.

The Mongol Derby is an equestrian endurance race and world's longest horse race. It extends 1,000 kilometres through the Mongolian Steppe.