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The Route is Revealed

News Release / 08.02.2010

The Wenger Patagonian Expedition Race will begin in less than 24 hours - and the organizers have unveiled a grueling route that promises to test competitors' mental and physical endurance to their limits and solidify the race's reputation as the wildest adventure race on the planet.

The spectacular course combines all of the extreme terrain that Chilean Patagonia is famous for, beginning with an epic 8km paddle across the straight of Magellan to the island of Tierra del Fuego, land of fire.

Characterized by typical Patagonian plains, the first half of the course traverses historic estancias, forests and peat bog, a water-absorbing moss that makes trekking extremely difficult and forces racers to expend valuable energy.

Check point seven, Karukinka, marks the beginning of a dramatic landscape change in this year's route, as the course moves into the Darwin mountain range. Fatigued racers will show their rope skills as they rappel down a slot canyon at check point nine, Valle Profundo, and use a Tyrolean Traverse to cross the Azopardo River at check point ten.

The race ends with an 18km mountain biking section along the Beagle Channel at Peurto Williams, the southernmost city in the world.

Returning competitor, Druce Finlay of team Eddie Bauer, recalls "The trekking in this race is epic; all the events are done at such an extreme level in the complete wilderness. It is hard to find this type of race in the United States because of certain land conservation rules. Big ocean paddling, like some of the paddling that has to be done in the Patagonian Expedition Race, scares a lot of teams off."

Last year's winner, team Helly Hansen - Prunesco, has decided to take a different approach than the one that led them to victory in 2009. The team is opting to bring a few extra items for comfort and warmth, compromising the typical ultra-light adventure racing strategy.

Chris Lomas, a first-time UK competitor of team Fast and Light, is simply excited to compete on the wild and untouched Tierra del Fuego in Chilean Patagonia. "I'm most looking forward to seeing this amazing place. All the photos I've seen look incredible, and what better way to see a land, than to trek, bike and kayak 600km around it. We're certainly going to see a lot of it! The best bit looks like the sea kayaking, amongst whales, icebergs, all the time racing against other teams from all over the world."

With an outstanding team line-up and a route that traverses the most remote and beautiful landscapes of Chilean Patagonia, Wenger Patagonian Expedition Race 2010 promises extreme adventure.

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