The Patagonian Expedition Race is an annual endurance adventure race that takes place in the remote wilderness of ChileanPatagonia, run to help protect and raise awareness about the fragile environment in this region. Known as the 'Race to the End of the World', the 10-day event challenges co-ed international teams of four athletes in the disciplines of trekking, sea kayaking, orienteering, and mountain biking. The race takes place on a different course each year, with competitors using a map and compass to navigate through previously unknown terrain. Due to its challenging nature, it is also known as 'The Last Wild Race',[1] and has been described as 'The World's toughest adventure race'[2] and the ‘Dakar’ of adventure racing.[3] The 13th edition of the race took place from 17 to 30 November 2018.[4]
The Patagonian Expedition Race takes place in February each year and involves a maximum of 20 four-person mixed-sex teams, limited to minimize the impact on the environment. Created by geologist Stjepan Pavicic, a pioneer of Chilean Patagonia, the first race was run in 2004 and since then athletes from 26 different nations have taken part. It is the only adventure race worldwide that has been granted an official partnership by an Olympic Committee.
Each edition takes place on a different course through the most remote and untouched regions of Chilean Patagonia. The terrain in this region is incredibly diverse and includes the mountains of Torres del Paine and the Cordillera Darwin, the flat plains and rolling hills of Tierra del Fuego and Isla Riesco, and the icy waterways of the Strait of Magellan and the Beagle Channel.
The combination of rugged terrain, long distances and unpredictable climatic conditions creates a great challenge, with the rate of team completion averaging between 35 and 50 percent. There is usually only a summer edition (February), but in 2006 a winter edition was organized, which took place in June.
The 26 nations that have competed, up to and including the 2011 edition, are: Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Columbia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Japan, Kazakhstan, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Uruguay and USA. The race is organized by NIGSA (Nómadas International Group S.A.), formerly known as, Nómadas Outdoor Services Ltda., an organization located in Punta Arenas, working for the goals of environmental protection and the advancement of eco-tourism in the region of Chilean Patagonia.
Goals of the Race
The mission of the race is to raise international awareness of the fragile environment of Chilean Patagonia. It promotes the area's unique and pristine wilderness, as well as its rich cultural heritage as attractions for a viable sustainable tourism destination.
Stjepan Pavicic, Race Director, explains: "From the beginning, we have focused on creating an experience that is not only a physical and mental challenge, but one that sends a real message: we must protect and preserve this remote and pristine region of Chilean Patagonia. Our event brings this message to the world."
For centuries, the extreme isolation of the southernmost region of South America has been a favorable characteristic for the preservation of its flora and fauna. However, in recent decades, devastation of extensive areas of these southern forests has occurred. The Patagonian Expedition Race focuses on working to avoid the exploitation of natural resources by non-sustainable industrial activities.
Important sections of the 2004, 2006 Winter, 2008 and 2010 races passed through the Karukinka reserve on Tierra del Fuego, a 300,000 ha conservation area owned by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS). This is the largest terrain of its kind and holds one of the last protected sub-Antarctic forest reserves on earth. The race has brought to attention the necessity to protect this distinct region. The organization behind the Patagonian Expedition Race, NIGSA, is now active in its trail building projects within Karukinka. Eventually the new trails will allow international tourists access to this region's unique features, increasing eco-tourism in Chilean Patagonia.
Awards
The race produces an annual documentary showing the struggles and experiences of the teams participating in the Patagonian Expedition Race. Produced and directed by Brian J. Leitten, the 2011 edition of the documentary called 'The Last Wild Race' received huge international media attention and was recognized seven times at the following global film festivals:
Winner BEST ENVIRONMENTAL FILM: Colorado Film Festival of 2011
Winner BEST ENVIRONMENTAL FILM: Yosemite Film Festival of 2011
Winner BEST MOVIE: Vanka Regule, Croatia Film Festival 2011
Winner of Adventure Sport Category: Killarney Adventure Film Festival 2011
Finalist: New Zealand Mountain Film Festival 2011
OFFICIAL SELECTION: Breckenridge Festival of Film 2011
OFFICIAL SELECTION: Danish Adventure Film Festival 2011
History
Since the Patagonian Expedition Race was founded in 2004, courses have ranged from 320 miles (520km) to 680 miles (1112km), with completion targets from 9 to 14 days.
The popularity and awareness of the event has increased since its inception in 2004, with increasing features in many international magazines, newspapers, websites and TV broadcasts. The race secured its first title sponsor in 2009, with Switzerland-based company Wenger, the manufacturer of the Genuine Swiss Army Knife. At this point, the logo was altered to carry Wenger's Swiss flag emblem and the name was changed to the Wenger Patagonian Expedition Race.
Editions
2012: The 10th anniversary edition of the race presented the 19 international co-ed teams with 565km (351 miles) of challenging Patagonian nature; ranging from strength-sapping peat bogs to freezing cold glacial rivers. Part of the route also led them to the Kurukinka National Park where NIGSA has recently ended a trail building project, allowing walkers and rangers to effectively reach some of the more remote parts of the area. The route took the teams from the regional capital, Punta Arenas to the eventual finish on the Fiordo Pia on the Beagle Channel. For the fourth year in a row British based team Adidas TERREX/Prunesco were the overall winners. The second and third step on the podium respectively went to Japanese team EastWind and the American team Gearjunkie/YogaSlackers.
2011: The ninth edition of the Wenger Patagonian Expedition Race took on a challenging route through the dramatic landscapes of Torres del Paine, Bernard O’Higgins and Pali Aike National Parks. The race involved a total of 248km of mountain biking, 150km of trailless trekking and 105km of river and sea kayaking. British team adidasTERREX/Prunesco completed their third consecutive victory, while persistent rain forced a section of the course to be cancelled, and swollen rivers caused three teams to be airlifted over an impassable part of the course (two of which completed the race). British team captain Bruce Duncan said: "To have won this race once is something special, to win it three times is simply amazing". Six teams completed the challenging course, with US team GearJunkie.com taking second place, French team Vaucluse Adventure Evasions finishing third and Croatians Ad Natura taking fourth place. Karibu finished several hours behind the top placed teams, while teams East Wind from Japan, and Perdido en el Turbal, from the US and UK, were the final finishers.
2010: This was the southernmost adventure race in history and was won by reigning champions Helly Hansen-Prunesco, making them the first team to retain the title. "It was a magical race," said team captain Nicola MacLeod.[5] The route began on the north western shore of Tierra del Fuego and took competitors south on a series of treks and mountain bike rides through increasingly hilly terrain to the Wildlife Conservation Society's Karukinka Reserve before a major 120km trek through the unexplored Darwin Range to Yendegaia Bay and a final kayak and trek the finish on Isla Navarino, on the shores of the Beagle Channel. Stephen Regenold, of Team GearJunkie.com, said: "We saw every type of terrain you could imagine. It looked like New Zealand, the Alps, Colorado, there were jungly sections and the Turba (peatbog) was crazy – it looked like the set from the movie Avatar. We didn’t see any sign that humans had been through there, and we didn’t even see any other teams for days".[6] Helly Hansen-Prunesco's winning time was five days, six hours and eight minutes, with Spain's Air Europa Bimont 16hrs 38mins behind in second, and Germany's Team Herbertz and Team Switzerland sharing third. Seven teams completed the course.
2009: This 600km epic began in Torres del Paine and ended at the Cross of the Seas on Cabo Froward, the southernmost point of the American continental mainland. It was notable for its tough conditions and for several race dramas. British team Helly Hansen-Prunesco put in a strong and smooth performance to beat reigning champions Easy Implant (formerly Authentic Nutrition), who finished second. Team captain Nicola MacLeod said: "It was an amazing race, a chance to explore Patagonia in depth, on your own, in an adventurous environment. It certainly met my expectations, and the fact we managed to win it blew them away!”[7] But the race became famous for the dramatic story of American team Calleva, who got stuck in the mountains after a trekking short-cut went wrong and had to survive for days on wild berries before two team members attempted a daring swim and free-climb to alert a rescue operation. Team member Druce Finlay admitted "it was freezing water and after we got out we shivered all night. I couldn’t dress myself, I just couldn't operate my hands. I thought I was going down. But the very end climb, we got a lucky path although we were on some slippery steep cliffs, no ropes, just grabbing onto thin grass here and there".[8] They made it – but were out of time to be classified. Just three of the nine teams made the finish.[6]
2008: This edition of the race focused on Tierra del Fuego with more than 500km of competition across the remote Chilean island. Team Authentic Nutrition became the third French team to win the race after a route that took racers from Porvenir through valleys and forests within the Karukinka reserve, the Death Pass in the Darwin Range, to Yendegaia, where the race was finished early due to strong winds impeding helicopter flights. The winning team completed the course in six days two hours and 42 minutes. Two team members of second-placed Spanish team Canarias – Andalucia Spiuk Tenerife had taken on the event as part of their honeymoon having been married just before the race to gain a legal holiday. Only two other teams of the 11 that started made it to the finish.[6]
2007: The longest race of its kind in history took the teams 1,112km through the southern region of Chilean Patagonia, from Torres del Paine National Park all the way to Puerto Williams on the Navarino Island. The awesome challenge was won by returning champions French team TSL – La Clusaz – and no other team was able to complete the course. The Mexican team 7º Grado Monterrey México came closest, but they had been disqualified for being rescued from the middle of the awesome Darwin mountains after getting lost for several days.[6]
2006 Winter: The only winter race took place between 21 and 26 June 2006 and was contested mostly by Chilean and Argentine teams, with victory going to Chilean team Nike-GNC. A unique alteration to the race regulations saw teams made up of just two members and the race split into distinct stages with overnight rests. The cold but sunny and clear winter days with strong light contrasts created an extremely scenic edition on a route that started at Glacier Grey in the Torres del Paine National Park, and finished at Lago Deseado in Tierra del Fuego, including several days of racing through the Karukinka Reserve. The race was completed in 28 hours, 57 minutes and 18 seconds, with eight teams making the finish.[6]
2006: The third edition of the race, in February 2006, covered more than 700km and started on the South Atlantic Ocean in a region first explored by Ferdinand Magellan. The route crossed the American continent all the way to the Pacific Ocean, where it led through the channels and the unexplored Peninsula Brunswick down to the Río San Pedro before ending in Punta Arenas. Team BUFF Spain won with a team that included German Ann Christine Meidinger, who went on to be the race's Global Marketing Director and co-founder of the Patagonian International Marathon. They completed the course in nine days, seven hours and 16 minutes, with Canadian Alberta Adventure Racing Team three hours behind in second and Feed the Machine from the US third. The other two entered teams failed to finish and Feed the Machine racer Bernice Pierson said: "I have raced Primal Quest twice as well as about 50 other races, but these last 50 hours of trekking have been the toughest that I have ever done. Ever!"[6]
2005: The second Patagonian Expedition Race was 662km long, beginning near the entrance to Torres del Paine National Park and ending at San Isidro Lighthouse on the shores of the Strait of Magellan. There was a strong mountain biking and kayaking bias and French Team La Clusaz Raid Aventure were the official winners; although Team Russia came in first but was disqualified after breaking the no-separation of team members rule in an initial kayaking leg. Both teams were taken on a rewarding trip to the scientific whale-watching base on Carlos III Island.[6]
2004: The first ever race involved competitors from 10 different nations and was won by Xinix Water Purification, a team made up of three New Zealand racers and their American female captain Robyn Benincasa. The route was around 520km long, with 212km of mountain biking, 168km of sea kayaking and 140km of tough trekking and rope-work. It started in Punta Arenas and finished at the most southerly point ever reached in any expedition race at that time, in the town of Puerto Williams on Navarino Island.[6]
List of Winners
2012: AdidasTERREX/Prunesco (UK/New-Zealand/Spain): Nick Gracie, Sarah Fairmaid, Stuart Lynch, Albert Rocca
2011: AdidasTERREX/Prunesco (UK): Bruce Duncan, Fiona Spotswood, Nick Gracie, Mark Humphrey
2010: Helly Hansen-Prunesco (UK): Nicola Macleod, Andrew Wilson, Mark Humphrey, Bruce Duncan
2009: Helly Hansen-Prunesco (UK): Nicola Macleod, Andrew Wilson, Mark Humphrey, Bruce Duncan
2008: Authentic Nutrition (France / USA): Bruno Rey, Teresa Ellen Dewitt, Cyril Margaritis, Philippe Danneau
2006 Winter: Nike-GNC (Chile): Victor González, Diego Banfi del Río
2006: Buff (Spain / Germany): Chemari Bustillo, Javier Rodriguez, Juanjo Alonso, Ann Christine Meidinger
2005: La Clusaz Raid Aventure (France): Laurent Ardito, Cathy Ardito, Frédéric Freddow, Jerome Bernard
2004: Xinix Water Purification (New Zealand / USA): Robyn Benincasa, Neil Jones, Christopher Morrissey, Jeff Mitchell
Sponsors
Up till the 2011 race, the title sponsor of the race used to be Wenger, the manufacturer of the Genuine Swiss Army Knife as well as precision outdoor equipment and Swibo knives. The company signed up as title sponsor in 2009 on a three-year agreement. Peter Hug, Chief Executive Officer of Wenger, said, "The Patagonian Expedition Race is a unique human challenge, conducted in an environment where preparedness is everything and precision multi-discipline tools for the job are vital – exactly the principles on which our company was founded over 100 years ago."
The race is also supported by the Chilean Government, with the aim of promoting sustainable adventure travel in Chilean Patagonia. Many local businesses provide additional essential support for the logistics of the event.
Olympic Partnership
The Patagonian Expedition Race entered an official partnership agreement with the Olympic Committee of Chile (Comité Olímpico de Chile, COCH) in October 2007. Although the event does not correspond to an Olympic discipline, the Committee recognizes the spirit and values of the event to be consistent with the core principles of the Olympics. The unique partnership makes this the only adventure race in the world that is recognized by a National Olympic Committee.
Related Research Articles
Tierra del Fuego is an archipelago off the southernmost tip of the South American mainland, across the Strait of Magellan.
Patagonia is a geographical region that encompasses the southern end of South America, governed by Argentina and Chile. The region comprises the southern section of the Andes Mountains with lakes, fjords, temperate rainforests, and glaciers in the west and deserts, tablelands and steppes to the east. Patagonia is bounded by the Pacific Ocean on the west, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and many bodies of water that connect them, such as the Strait of Magellan, the Beagle Channel, and the Drake Passage to the south.
The Magallanes Region, officially the Magallanes y la Antártica Chilena Region, is one of Chile's 16 first order administrative divisions. It is the southernmost, largest, and second least populated region of Chile. It comprises four provinces: Última Esperanza, Magallanes, Tierra del Fuego, and Antártica Chilena.
The Strait of Magellan, also called the Straits of Magellan, is a navigable sea route in southern Chile separating mainland South America to the north and Tierra del Fuego to the south. The strait is considered the most important natural passage between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. It was navigated by canoe-faring indigenous peoples including the Kawésqar for thousands of years. In 1520, the Spanish expedition of Ferdinand Magellan, after whom the strait is named, became the first Europeans to discover it.
Ushuaia, is the capital of Tierra del Fuego, Antártida e Islas del Atlántico Sur Province, Argentina. With a population of 82,615 and a location below the 54th parallel south latitude, Ushuaia claims the title of world's southernmost city.
The guanaco is a camelid native to South America, closely related to the llama. Guanacos are one of two wild South American camelids, the other being the vicuña, which lives at higher elevations.
Adventure racing is typically a multidisciplinary team sport involving navigation over an unmarked wilderness course with races extending anywhere from two hours up to two weeks in length. Some races offer solo competitions as well. The principal disciplines in adventure racing include trekking, mountain biking, and paddling although races can incorporate a multitude of other disciplines including climbing, abseiling, horse riding, skiing and white water rafting. Teams generally vary in gender mix and in size from two to five competitors, however, the premier format is considered to be mixed-gender teams of four racers. There is typically no suspension of the clock during races, irrespective of length; elapsed competition time runs concurrently with real-time, and competitors must choose if or when to rest.
The Cordillera Paine is a mountain group in Torres del Paine National Park in Chilean Patagonia. The cordillera is located 280 km (170 mi) north of Punta Arenas, and about 1,960 km (1,220 mi) south of the Chilean capital Santiago. It belongs to the Commune of Torres del Paine in Última Esperanza Province of Magallanes and Antártica Chilena Region. No accurate surveys have been published, and published elevations have been claimed to be seriously inflated, so most of the elevations given on this page are approximate. Paine means "blue" in the native Tehuelche (Aonikenk) language and is pronounced PIE-nay.
Father Alberto Maria de Agostini born in Pollone, Piedmont was an Italian missionary of the Salesians of Don Bosco order as well as a passionate mountaineer, explorer, geographer, ethnographer, photographer and cinematographer.
Ciudad del Rey Don Felipe, also known as Puerto del Hambre, is a historic settlement site at Buena Bay on the north shore of the Strait of Magellan approximately 58 km (36 mi) south of Punta Arenas in the Región de Magallanes y la Antártica Chilena, Patagonia, Chile.
Puerto Natales is a city in Chilean Patagonia. It is the capital of both the commune of Natales and the province of Última Esperanza, one of the four provinces that make up the Magallanes and Antartica Chilena Region in the southernmost part of Chile. Puerto Natales is the only city in the province. It is located 247 km (153 mi) northwest of Punta Arenas. It is the final passenger port of call for the Navimag ferry sailing from Puerto Montt into the Señoret Channel as well as the primary transit point for travellers to Torres del Paine National Park, Chile.
Torres del Paine National Park is a national park encompassing mountains, glaciers, lakes, and rivers in southern Chilean Patagonia. The Cordillera del Paine is the centerpiece of the park. It lies in a transition area between the Magellanic subpolar forests and the Patagonian Steppes. The park is located 112 km (70 mi) north of Puerto Natales and 312 km (194 mi) north of Punta Arenas. The park borders Bernardo O'Higgins National Park to the west and the Los Glaciares National Park to the north in Argentine territory. Paine means "blue" in the native Tehuelche (Aonikenk) language and is pronounced PIE-neh, while Torres means "towers". It was established as a National Park in 1959.
Reclus, also written as Reclús, is a volcano located in the Southern Patagonian Ice Field, Chile. Part of the Austral Volcanic Zone of the Andes, its summit rises 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) above sea level and is capped by a crater about 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) wide. Close to the volcano lies the Amalia Glacier, which is actively eroding Reclus.
The Boundary Treaty of 1881 between Argentina and Chile was signed on 23 July 1881 in Buenos Aires by Bernardo de Irigoyen, on the part of Argentina, and Francisco de Borja Echeverría, on the part of Chile, with the aim of establishing a precise and exact border between the two countries based on the uti possidetis juris principle. Despite dividing largely unexplored lands, the treaty laid the groundwork for nearly all of Chile's and Argentina's 5600 km current border.
Dientes de Navarino are a mountain range in Navarino Island, Chile, located just south of Puerto Williams, along the Beagle Channel coast. They are named for the jagged pinnacles which resemble teeth.
Thomas Bridges was an Anglican missionary and linguist, the first to set up a successful mission to the indigenous peoples in Tierra del Fuego, an archipelago shared by Argentina and Chile. Adopted and raised in England by George Pakenham Despard, he accompanied his father to Chile with the Patagonian Missionary Society. After an attack by indigenous people, in 1869 Bridges' father, Despard, left the mission at Keppel Island of the Falkland Islands, to return with his family to England. At the age of 17, Bridges stayed with the mission as its new superintendent. In the late 1860s, he worked to set up a mission at what is now the town of Ushuaia along the southern shore of Tierra del Fuego Island.
Between 1883 and 1906 Tierra del Fuego experienced a gold rush attracting many Chileans, Argentines and Europeans to the archipelago, including many Dalmatians. The gold rush led to the formation of the first towns in the archipelago and fueled economic growth in Punta Arenas. After the gold rush was over, most gold miners left the archipelago, while the remaining settlers engaged in sheep farming and fishing. The rush made a major contribution to the genocide of the indigenous Selk'nam people.
Mateo Martinić Beroš is a Chilean historian, politician and lawyer of Croatian descent. He has primarily dealt with the history of the Magallanes Region. He entered the University of Chile in 1953 studying briefly pedagogy before moving on to study law and then continued his law studies in the Catholic University of Chile. He finally became a lawyer in 1983. From 1964 to 1970 he served as intendant of Magallanes Region. He received the National History Award in 2000.
Marcos José Couch, Argentinean mountain climber, known for his professional achievements in mountains such as the Shishapangma in Tibet, or the Fitz Roy in Patagonia. Since 1987 he is a mountain guide and has been working internationally.
Fueguino is a volcanic field in Chile. The southernmost volcano in the Andes, it lies on Tierra del Fuego's Cook Island and also extends over nearby Londonderry Island. The field is formed by lava domes, pyroclastic cones, and a crater lake.
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