Wenger Patagonian Expedition Race 2011
No Compromise in Patagonia
News Release / 03.02.2011
This year's edition of the annual eco-endurance adventure promises to be one of the most spectacular and remote races ever created, with the competitors traveling more than 600km by bike, kayak and on foot in a bid to raise $20,000 towards the protection of the Patagonian Huemul.
The course, which runs from Torres del Paine National Park and finishes in Pale Aike National Park, is so remote that the organizers had to name valleys and regions to create the route map. Race Director, Stjepan Pavicic, believes it will test even the most experienced teams.
"This will be the ninth event we have planned in Chilean Patagonia, and I truly believe we have put together a real classic," said Pavicic. "I thought I had seen it all, but when I went to explore this year's course, I discovered some incredible remote and unnamed glaciers and some of the wildest scenery I have ever seen in this beautiful part of the world.
"The race is now globally recognized and becoming more popular every year and, more than ever, in 2011 we have a very competitive field. We are pleased to welcome back the reigning champions from the UK, and we look forward to seeing them face this challenge as they aim for a hat-trick of wins."
The eventual winners of last year's race where pushed to their limits when a fast-flowing river threatened to sweep them downstream during a demanding trekking section. This February, they return without team captain Nicola MacLeod, who is with the British Army in Afghanistan, while Fiona Spotswood replaces her boyfriend Andy Wilson and Nick Gracie joins Mark Humphrey and new team captain Bruce Duncan.
Spotswood had a tough experience preparing for the race in a UK event and explained: "One night, on Scafell Pike in the Lake District, I was low on sleep and was constantly stumbling and slipping on the treacherous wet rocks, falling dangerously close to some overhanging cliffs in the darkness. I couldn't see in the cloud, wind and rain and was incredibly relieved when our team eventually managed to scramble off the top - I guess that's good preparation for what we may experience in Patagonia!"
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