Two Alaskans to Ride in Mongol Rally

Full audio:  20130621MongolRally

Chase Berenson and Charla Hughes share a strong sense of adventure and will soon be sharing the confines of a tiny automobile for a 10,000 mile drive.  The pair have entered the Mongol Rally, which begins in Dover, England, and ends in Ulaanbaatar (oo-LAN-bah-TAR), Mongolia.   Charla explains how they got involved in the event.

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The Adventurists are a group who say they are, “Fighting to make the world less boring.”  They have raised over 4.5 million Pounds, or just over 7 million dollars for charity.  Chase and Charla are raising money for the Lotus Center, a children’s center in Mongolia as well as Cool Earth, which is working to preserve the Amazon Rainforest. Chase described what the journey is likely to be like in this unique event.

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Teams are restricted to cars with an engine size of 1.2 Liters or less.  Chase and Charla have chosen a 2004 Fiat Panda, which will be auctioned off for charity following the rally. Of the 300 teams participating, only fifteen are from the United States, which poses some additional challenges.

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Chase and Charla have dubbed themselves Team Turnagain.  Chase explains why they chose this particularly Alaskan name.

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The rally begins on July 13th.  Team Turnagain’s progress can be tracked on their Facebook page as well as their website.  The team anticipates the trip taking six weeks, but they are perfectly willing to add more time for side trips.  As Chase explains, finishing first is discouraged, as it means you didn’t leave enough time for adventures along the way.