The route for this year’s Wenger Patagonian Expedition Race will provide competitors with one of the toughest tests in the race’s history – with the course travelling almost the length of Chilean Tierra del Fuego before heading south beyond the world’s most southerly community on the Isla Navarino.
A combination of dusty roads running through expansive open grasslands will provide a test of endurance on the mountain bikes and the rough waters of the Beagle Channel will challenge even the most professional kayaker – but it is the trekking sections through unpredictable peat bog that could be crucial.
Trekking is historically the most challenging – and spectacular – parts of the course and this year will be no different as the route travels past some of the best peaks in the notorious Darwin Range.
In a crucial part of the race planning stage, the organizers spent the Christmas period in the heart of the Chilean mountains, finalizing a trek that will test the competitors to the limit in the latter part of the competition.
Race Founder and Director Stjepan Pavicic, who has explored the Patagonian mountains for more than 20 years, explained: “The trekking in Chilean Patagonia is phenomenal but it is extremely wild. There are plenty of routes to enjoy for tourists, but where we go there’s nothing - just an extreme wild land of bush, bog, forest and mountains.
“We plan the route out remotely using topographical maps, Google Earth and our knowledge of the region. The recce in December is done to make sure what we think is really there! It is important for us to have explored the route, so we know the challenging parts and can suggest ways for the competitors to best get through.”
Last year, the trekking sections of the race proved tough for many. One team was forced to turn back after getting lost, while one had to swim across a wild river after a navigation mistake put the natural obstacle between them and the checkpoint. And that was just in the first, easier, trekking section!
The challenge of the 2009 race was the knotted, twisted and often rotting trees found in the depths of the pristine, virgin Patagonian forests, as well as the thorny bushes, which tore the hands of gloveless competitors as they pushed them aside to fight their way through the dense undergrowth.
This year, one of the biggest obstacles is likely to be softer but no less challenging. Pavicic explains: “The peat bog, or Turba as it is known in Spanish, is widely found in Chilean Patagonia and it is takes a bit of getting used to. It often looks solid, but it absorbs so much water it can suck you in to your waist in an instant.
“The competitors will be aware of this, and they will have to take care as they cross these areas of the trek. If it rains, they are guaranteed to get pretty wet – but if they are careful and they learn fast they should be able to negotiate through it without using up too much vital energy.”
