10,000 miles with no backup, no support and no set route completed in just over a month
Joe Harrod, a student at Plymouth University, has just finished one of the biggest motor sports challenges in the world, the Mongol Rally, raising nearly £1,000 for ABF The Soldiers’ Charity along the way.
Joe set off on 17th July with little more than his motorbike that that cost £11.50, and a tent, reaching the finish line in the Siberian town of Ulan-Ude, 400 miles due north of Ulaanbaatar, on August 25th. Hundreds of competitors take part in the Rally each year, with very few making it to the finish, but Joe was one of them.
On completing the challenge, Joe said: “Right from the start the rally’s been epic, as I travelled, alone I’ve met so many awesome people. Everywhere I’ve been all the locals are really friendly and despite not speaking a word of English I’ve still managed to have some sort of conversation with them.
“The toughest part so far was the Kazak desert, it was incredibly hot and the roads were horrific, ran out of water a couple of times for half a day, nearly stood on a massive snake one night putting the tent up in the dark.”
Colonel (Ret’d) Robert Jordan, Regional Director ABF The Soldiers’ Charity adds: “This is an amazing effort from Joe. After following his adventures on Facebook, I’ve seen that he’s had some pretty tough challenges along the way, so it’s good to see him cross that finish line. Everyone at the Charity really appreciates his effort.”
You can follow Joe on his Facebook page: www.facebook.com/mongolrally2016jharrod and if you would like to help him on to his £1,000 target, his Virgin Money Giving page is at: uk.virginmoneygiving.com/JoeHarrod