We'll be updating this with all the news articles.. sooo appreciated! Without the media, we are ... well, we are still something, but so much better with your support!
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Mongol Rally Girls in the Kamloops Daily News!
http://www.kamloopsnews.ca/article/20091
It's not that she doesn't like her job; the 28-year-old loves working with kids, so her position as school-based program co-ordinator at the Boys and Girls Club is a great fit.
But this is a young woman with a sense of adventure and a need to do things off the beaten path. During her years travelling, after all, she went from being a picky eater to vowing to taste all life offered. Life offered deep-fried spider, scorpion, animal brains and blood soup.
When she paged through a friend's copy of Wanderlust magazine a couple of months ago, it's not surprising the article on the Mongol Rally caught her attention.
Five hundred teams drive their little beater cars with 1.2-litre engines (or bigger vehicles, if they're willing to pay the penalty for sizing up) a gruelling 13,000 to 16,000 kilometres from starting points in England, Spain and Italy to the finishing line in Ulaan Baatar, the capital of Mongolia.
There is no set racecourse. There is no GPS. There are some checkpoints along the way, but everything in between is a free for all.
And it's all done for charity.
"I was trying to plan some sort of a trip. I wanted something crazy," said Unruh. "I knew that I had to do it. I stayed up all night reading about it online."
The world's largest charity rally takes roughly four to five weeks and hits the road next July. In addition to the $1,250 entry fee, Unruh and her team will have to collect money for visas as well as travel expenses.
Vehicles, tents and other travel items get left in Mongolia as well as money raised for charity there. Unruh has chosen a couple of good causes: Mercy Corps in Mongolia that helps rural communities with everything from schools to playgrounds to youth centres to training programs for women; and the Boys and Girls Club Power Up program that provides kids in Kamloops with transportation to school, as well as breakfast and snacks.
Even getting a spot on the Sept. 6 sign-up day took planning; Unruh had four people on different computers in telephone communication with each other, vying for a space.
Unruh's own luck wasn't great.
"I clicked on ‘sign up’ and my computer crashed," she said.
"My mother signed up for me."
Good ol' Mom, the person who you'd think would be worried about her daughter making such an outrageous trip turned out to be the one who got her into it in the first place.
But then, Unruh's mother not only has confidence her daughter can handle it, she'd really like to go with her, Unruh confessed.
Just before Unruh signed on, she talked to a friend about joining her. Heather Young met Unruh in South Korea. Originally from Cranbrook, Young lived in Japan for two years, Korea for four years, spent two summers in Tibet and has visited her brother in Thailand.
Before her last long journey, Unruh was given Young's contact information by a relative. The two discovered they were kindred spirits.
"I was happy she found it (the article about the rally)," said Young.
"My parents aren't."
Of course, integral to the trip is the vehicle. It is supposed to be newer than 10 years old, and it gets left behind to be donated in Mongolia. If the engine is larger than 1.2 litres, the teams have to raise more money, which all goes to charity.
Unruh wants to find a bus, plaster it with sponsors' logos (as well as the logo her sister drew up for the Mongol Rally Girls based on the Charlie’s Angels silhouette), make it as comical looking as possible and load it up with friends — preferably one with mechanical skills. Young wants a fire truck, complete with sirens and lights.
Neither Unruh nor Young have changed a tire.
"I have a lot of duct tape," Unruh said.
With months to go before the rally begins, they are starting their vehicle search, while trying to figure out whether to buy one here and ship it to London or purchase their wheels there.
Lest they seem disorganized, note that Unruh has a colour-coded binder with sections for various aspects of the rally. Despite their love for the randomness of travel, these two know that they still have to be as prepared as possible. Unruh had to order a new passport because her old one, while still valid, was full. They're checking into visa requirements for the countries they might end up driving through. They are raising money for charity in numerous ways. They even talked to one man who just finished this year's rally last month.
This being the age of the Internet, they have a website and will be blogging from the road as much as possible. They'll tap into Twitter and Facebook, too.
Ask Unruh what her biggest fear is about the rally and she shakes her head. Nothing.
Ask Young and she comes up with a fairly typical fear among those not even on a long-distance trip in a beaten-up car — "that the car will break down."
So anyone willing to donate some time to pass on basic car-repair skills should get in touch.
Even if they don't make it to the finish line, both women expect to have come back with memories and stories. And they've helped some good causes in the process.
"Every day is something new — beautiful cultures, amazing food," said Unruh.
This from a woman who has eaten deep-fried spider.
Web site: www.mongolrallygirls.com
Email: mongolrallygirls@gmail.com
Sunpeaks Spin Magazine - March 2010
Girls race to Mongolia for Charity
by Lailani Mendoza
lailani@sunpeaksnews.com
Kamloops residents Megan Unruh and
Ashley Leighton are a pair of thrill-seeking,
continent-hopping twentysomethings who
love to do things out of the ordinary. Their
feats include trying exotic delicacies like live
squid and congealed blood soup, hiking to
the base of Mount Everest and going on a
camel ride through the desert.
Next on their checklist? Racing in the
Mongol Rally.
The Mongol Rally is quite possibly the
most unique fundraising competition out
there, gaining a cult-like following among
adventurers.
Starting in England, Spain or Italy, contestants
traverse approximately 10,000 kilometres
to the Mongolian capital of Ulaan
Baatar in a vehicle with a gas tank no bigger
than 1.2 litres. Participants make their way
through the old Silk Route and the Kazakh
Desert to their destination and hope they
arrive in one piece . . . if they have what it
takes to get to the finish line, that is.
You’d think people would think twice before
signing up for such a treacherous trip.
In fact, the contest’s 500 spots were filled in
under two minutes on registration day.
Both girls are busy taking care of travel
documents, researching the countries they’ll
be passing through, and creating a travel
route.
They’re limiting supplies lest these get
in the way of adventure. “We might bring
a spare tire,” said Unruh. “We’ll bring duct
tape and a Leatherman and ask for help
along the way.”
“As far as automotive skills . . . we hope
that luck will be on our side as neither one
of us is all that handy under the hood of a
car,” said Leighton. “I’ve learned that a smile
goes a long way and the universal language
of acting out what you want seems to always
work in the end,” she said.
“We still definitely need a vehicle,” said
Unruh. They’re looking at shipping a vehicle
from Canada or buying one from Ebay
in England. Donations are welcome.
Vehicles must be younger than 10 years
and have a 1.2 litre tank. The vehicle will
be donated to Mongolia after the race.
Emergency vehicles, cherry pickers or ice
cream trucks are all needed in Mongolia and
thus will be exempted from the 1.2 litre rule.
Also known as the Mongol Rally Girls,
Leighton and Unruh are using the race to
raise money for worthy causes.
“How often do you get a chance to make a
difference to children’s lives halfway around
the world and have fun doing so?” said
Leighton.
They’ve decided to aim high on the fundraising
aspect, hoping to raise $30,000. This
was the highest amount raised by a participating
team last year. “We’ve managed to
raise money as needed but we’d like to raise
a lot more,” said Unruh.
As part of the rules, the teams need to
raise at least $2,000 for one of the rally’s official
charities in Mongolia. Leighton and
Unruh chose to support Mercy Corps and
Children and Young People’s Protection and
Development, two charities that provide
services for Mongolian children. They’re
also fundraising for the Kamloops Boys and
Girls Club.
“We chose these charities as they assist
in benefiting the lives of less privileged
children and enhancing the way they live,”
said Leighton. “I’ve seen firsthand in other
countries what some children have to do
and sacrifice to live. Because of this, I’m so
thankful that I’m Canadian and have access
to clean water, a good education system and
so many loving and supportive friends and
family. These charities need our support and
even a small donation can have a huge impact
on a child’s life in Mongolia.”
“If everyone in Kamloops went without
their morning coffee for a day and donated
that money ($2 to $5) to charity it would
make a huge impact on what we’re trying to
achieve.”
The Mongol Rally Girls’ adventure will
start on July 24. They welcome your support,
whether it’s through travel stories, jerry cans
or a 1.2 litre car. Mongol Rally Girls shirts,
duct tape purses and wallets are available at
The Art We Are in Kamloops.
Girls race to
Mongolia for charity
Follow the girls on Facebook, donate
at mongolrallygirls.com or e-mail
mongolrallygirls@gmail.com
kindred spirits: Ashley Leighton (left) and Megan Unruh (right) hike with a friend to the base camp of
Mount Everest in Nepal. The pair will compete in the Mongol Rally in July.
PHOTO: CONTRIBUTED
