HUAIRASINCHI

Huairasinchi: Coping With Covid And Ready to Race Again

Rob Howard / 03.12.2020

Huairasinchi starts this coming weekend, and the Ecuadorian Expedition Race is the first World Series Adventure Race to take place since March.  In a year which has seen sporting events shut down, like so much else around the world, due to the Covid emergency, it’s something for the adventure racing community to look forward to, and a promise of better things to come.

International events, in particular, have suffered due to travel restrictions, and while Huairasinchi does not have the strong international line-up it might usually expect, they do still have racers and teams from France, Brazil, Canada, The United States, Colombia, Chile and Denmark taking part.

The race was postponed from earlier in the year and moved back to a December date in the hope of being able to take place, and the organising team at Proyecto Aventura have worked hard to make sure it does. (After the change of date the race has now been included into next year’s ARWS calendar.)

Adventure racing takes place in the community, not an enclosed stadium, and any expedition race engages with local people and facilities across a wide area, so their task hasn’t been an easy one. And of course, they also needed enough teams to have the confidence to return to racing and travelling, and to support them. They’ve succeeded on both counts.

Race Director Santiago López commented. “We’ve developed a very structured and planned protocol for social distancing during the race.  Instead of creating a race bubble we will apply social distancing in every aspect.  The race start will be one team every minute and in open areas with more people, everyone will have to use a mask.

“This means that TA´s will require teams to wear a mask to be admitted.  Logistically speaking, we reduced the gear and boxes transportation to a minimum, creating a route with loops in a National Park, without towns and populated areas. This also means that teams will have almost no contact with places to buy anything during the race, so they must be very autonomous.

“This year’s race will be very high, but amazingly beautiful. We are very happy to be able to stage a safe race during this difficult time, and we hope it can help as a model to other races, so there can be more events next year.”

The race this year is shorter than normal, and unusually doesn’t include any paddling. It’s also based around a series of loops rather a point to point course, which reduces the number of transitions, and all are necessary compromises for the event to go ahead.

There are 17 teams in both the Expedition and Adventure categories, so a total entry of 34 teams, including some international competition. There are two Brazilian teams, and one is the ‘Brou Brothers’, Jose and Thiago, who will race the Expedition course as a pair.

Jose said, “It’s been a difficult year, but we’re longing so much for some adventure days that we’re going.”  The brothers run an event events company (Brou Aventuras) and they too have been shut down since March.

Jari Hiatt (nee Kirkland) is travelling from the USA to race with the Movistar team again, and said, “When this opportunity came up I couldn’t say no. I mean besides the fact the world is imploding with a virus!  So, really it just worked out that I could go. And I’m pumped!  It was a bit of a headache as you have to have a test within 72 hours of travel, but that is done.”  She added, “It will be unique for many reasons, but at least I get to race.”

All the racers travelling have similar motivations and experiences. They were longing to race, meet team mates, and travel, and the risks, and inconvenience of testing and masks, were not going to stand in their way.

Lars Bukkehave travelled the furthest, coming from Denmark, and said, “I had my test papers, but no one looked at them and it was very easy to travel; just like normal, except for wearing a mask.”

The only French racer taking part is Guillaume Habouzit, who lives in Brazil and is with Team Rainforest. Perhaps the motto on his Instagram page sums up the spirit of this Huairasinchi best.

“Seize the day!

Better to light a candle than to curse the darkness!

Elle est pas belle la vie?