Reigning Champions Helly Hansen-Prunesco will return to Chilean Patagonia in February in a bid to retain their title in the Wenger Patagonian Expedition Race but a full field of teams will be battling hard to try and stop them in what will be the most southerly adventure race in history.
Helly Hansen-Prunesco took last years victory at the Cross of the Seas, on the southernmost tip of the American continental mainland, but this years event will send even further into the wilderness with a route across the Land of Fire - Tierra del Fuego - through stunning snow-capped mountains, deep valleys and strength-sapping bog, all the way down to the Isla Navarino at the very tip of Chile.
Race organizer Stjepan Pavicic said: Every year we explore new areas of Chilean Patagonia to make the race as scenic, wild and unexplored as possible, always at the limit of the possible. The historic average of teams crossing the finish line is below 50%, last years race edition it was as low as 30% - so this year is going to be interesting! We have tried to develop a route with historical significance and one that will give competitors the best and most challenging - experience of the most remote and pristine area of Chilean Patagonia.
The last true expedition race is now widely accepted as the toughest and wildest race on Earth, and this years event will again test competitors to their limit. Marking the Chilean Bicentenary with a route that follows in the footsteps of the great explorers Ferdinand Magellan and Charles Darwin, it will also importantly pass through the Wildlife Conservation Societys Karukinka reserve.
The value of this race is not only in the physical and mental challenge, its value is also in spreading a message to preserve this region, explained Pavicic of the races unique partnership with the conservation movement. This year that message will be even stronger, helping to raise awareness of Karukinka, the conservation area we collaborate to preserve and develop in a sustainable manner.
Main partners Wenger will be onboard again, providing support to the event and putting their range of precision outdoor equipment to the test in the toughest conditions. The Chilean Government has also lent its backing along with many local companies while sustainable business partner La Paz Group continues its efforts to align the race with the sustainable business development needed in the region.
Teams from the Far East, Europe and North America will travel the globe to compete against several South American teams, giving the field a highly international flavour. A Japanese team and a Swiss team will compete for the first time in the races history while two members of the US team that fought an epic battle for survival after getting lost for four days last year will return this time with one team members father joining to take on the race.
Nobody has yet retained the title in Patagonia, so with a large field of competitors and a tough test in store, Helly Hansen-Prunesco and their reigning Adventure Racing World Champion captain Nicola Macleod could have their work cut out this time around.
