Kiwi leads 1000km race in Mongolia

Madonna Harris before the Mongol Derby.

The race on the Mongolian steppe got under way on August 7.

The 16 competitors must complete the race within 10 days, changing their native horses at specially set-up stations at intervals of no more than 40km.

Its promoters say the derby celebrates the horseback messenger system used by the warrior Genghis Khan.

GPS tracking indicates Harris holds a narrow lead over Justin Nelzen, from the United States, and Saskia van Heeren, from South Africa.

There is then a gap back to the next riders, led by Alisa Vermay, from Australia.

The derby, being run for the second time, is organised by a British company, The Adventurists, in collaboration with the Mongolia-based Tengri Group.