The Mongol Derby 1000 km horse race across Mongolia thundered out onto the Steppe on Saturday August 7 and the dramatic horseback adventure has already seen rider injuries, withdrawals, extreme fatigue and intense competition for first place.

Now just over halfway into the race, the leading riders have travelled well over 500 km and reached horse station 16 out of a total of 25 along the route. There are two groups of seven riders still racing, camped overnight just one horse station apart, so as they sleep only 40 kilometres separates the whole field after 5 days of racing. The race will restart at dawn in Mongolia.

Nearly all the riders are reported to be showing clear signs of the physical strain. Kat Swigart, from the USA, is sporting a "double egg" bump to the head and a black eye after taking a tumble on Sunday. South African Elsa Post and British rider Anna Bradbury have called time on their competitive bid for Derby glory and elected to be transferred further up the course, giving them the chance to rest, re-group and re-mount when they are ready while the pack thunders on.

Unfortunately another South African Rider Alexandra van Heeren sustained a broken collarbone during pre-race training and was forced to retire from the race.

The training was held on the steppe by Maggie Pattinson, Chef d’Equipe of the British Home International Endurance Team. "The race is heating up now. Richard, Sophie and Alisa left 10 minutes ahead of Justin, Madonna and Saskia this morning. All in good spirits despite wet conditions, having achieved 4 stations yesterday.” Maggie’s dark horse is Richard Dyer, a British rider currently in the leading pack – one to watch.

Justin Nelzen, a former US marine, is the only other man competing in the race and is a favourite of many. He has stated his intentions are to win, but he’ll have to overcome Richard and the other 12 female riders to win the 2010 Derby.

The riders can all be tracked online via their GPS Spot trackers - visit the Tracking Page to see who is winning.

Each Rider is raising at least £1000 for the official charities, Mercy Corps and AVSF, so that the Mongol Derby makes a genuinely positive impact over and above the benefits of the race itself.

Photo Credit: mongolderby.theadventurists.com

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