Wenger Patagonian Expedition Race 2011
The Teams at Last
Rob Howard / 06.02.2011
There are 14 teams entered this year, and they are now busy going through the mandatory skills and equipment testing and last minute packing. Star billing goes to returning champions adidas Terrex/Prunesco from the UK, with two team members who are double race winners (see our earlier reports), but they didn’t arrive without some last minute drama. Having booked their flights to Chile some 6 months ago they only found out the flight was cancelled a week before leaving! They managed to get rebooked then held up their new flight through having so much excess baggage.
(They arrived with all their baggage OK, but not everyone was so lucky. One of the bikes from Team Gear Junkies didn't make it.)
With their experience they should know exactly what is needed for this race and inevitably some of the teams new to the race have been struggling with their kit and supplies. Team Four Continents, who do live and train on 4 continents, only met each other at Punta Arenas airport and have already found their helmets are not acceptable for the climbing. Fortunately there are several outdoor and climbing shops in town. They are also struggling to know what food to pack, and are debating whether to take a stove, fuel and pre-packed food. In a normal race this would not be a consideration but normal rules do not apply on the course they face.
There is a strong international flavour once again this year, with teams and racers from Japan, Croatia, France, Brazil, Argentina, USA, Chile, the Czech Republic, Australia, Kazakhstan, New Zealand and Denmark. There is a wide range of backgrounds too, with the Japanese team ‘East Wind’ led by a professional adventure racer (Masato Tanaka) while Darija Bostjanci is an Everest summiteers.
There are many racers returning with ‘unfinished business’ at the race, having tried and failed to reach the finish line in the past, including US racer Paulette Kirby of Four Continents, and the Road Runners team from Denmark. There are others who have finished before but have been drawn back to Patagonia to race on the ice fields and perhaps hoping to improve the position, though finishing is always the first objective in this race. These include Gear Junkies.com of the US and East Wind.
Perhaps those with the greatest incentive are the teams with Chilean racers who will be hoping to become the first from the host country to cross the finish line. Incredibly no Chilean team have ever yet completed the full course. Maybe this year …
Full the full team list and additional comments from the racers see the latest news on the race <a href="#" onClick="javascript:newsitewindow('http://www.patagonianexpeditionrace.com/en/news_detail.php?news=60 ')" class="main"> website </a>.
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