Wenger Patagonian Expedition Race 2011
Tracking the Leaders
Will Gray / 14.02.2011
After trekking for some 35km with the race leaders adidasTERREX-Prunesco, it is no wonder the race organisation’s media men were exhausted – and more is the shame that in the challenging elements their filming equipment had given up the ghost earlier than they had.
Unsurprisingly, the trio eventually decided they no longer had the pace to keep up with adidasTERREX at the head of the field – and headed to the beach to seek either rescue, rest or at least some food.
At the end of a bright green valley on the 67km trek between PC9 and PC10, the beach is sandwiched between one of Patagonia’s famed thick forests and the icy waters of Lago Munoz Gamero, on the start of the small curve that marks the turning point to steer racers eastwards towards the mountains.
And it turned out to be a very convenient place to be.
After leaving adidasTERREX-Prunesco to continue on the trail at around 6pm, it had been a long night, first receiving some food from a helicopter drop then huddling in a tent to get warm and dry as the rain continued to pound down all around them.
So far, since then we have heard a variety of interesting side notes from our new field reporters, thanks to the Inmarsat communications between the beach and Race HQ in Punta Arenas.
The most important is the actual reported team positions – adidasTERREX-Prunesco made it to PC10 at 10:12am, just an hour and a half after Gearjunkie.com passed the photo/film team on the beach, some 30km or so behind.
It seems, therefore, that the British have pulled out quite a lead again – but one rumour currently offering some intrigue in race HQ is that GearJunkie.com appear to have retained some equipment from the kayaking section to take with them on the trek… and are planning a short-cut strategy that could come into play in the next day or so.
From here, in the Remota Hotel, still in the lap of luxury, I have been able to hook onto the internet and, bizarrely, am keeping up to date with the race not by communications with the race HQ but through it’s Facebook page – updated so quickly sometimes the world finds out the news faster than we do here!
Fortunately, my last two days in Remota have also allowed me the pleasurable experience of talking with race director Stjepan Pavicic about the route – and seeing his eyes light up whenever he receives some news from the field. With him, of course, you can guarantee to be in the one place that is certain to be updated before the social network!
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