Patagonia Expedition Race in Tierra del Fuego

Canoe & Kayak Paddling News
2/11/2008

The southernmost adventure race in the world starts on February 12th in Tierra del Fuego in Southern Patagonia, Chile.

The sixth PATAGONIA EXPEDITION RACE® starts in the southernmost continental city of the world, Punta Arenas. Eleven mixed four-person teams will race on a 600 kilometer route through the Tierra del Fuego (Land of Fire). The racers will be traversing mountain regions while looking for a new crossing of the majestic Darwin Range and then paddling across the Beagle Channel.

The teams compete in mountain-biking, trekking, sea kayaking, orienteering and rope activities. The international athletes come from the USA, Canada, Chile, Argentina, Brazil, France, Spain and Turkey. Among the team members are well-known adventure racers and triathletes.

The race finishes in the Chilean town of Puerto Williams, located on the shore of the mystical Beagle Channel.

By then the athletes will have made their way through the unexplored territory of “Karukinka” (owned by the “Wildlife Conservation Society”) and over the majestic mountain chain the “Darwin Range”, reaching further south than any expedition race in human history.

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PATAGONIA EXPEDITION RACE® is held every year in February in Patagonia, when it is summertime in the Southern Hemisphere. The route is different every year. In 2007 a distance of 1112 Kilometers was covered, which made it the longest expedition race to date.

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Given the remoteness of these places and the lack of roads or trails, orientation will play a key role in the quest to succeed in PATAGONIA EXPEDITION RACE®.

As there are no accurate maps for this corner of the world, route finding will be based on edited satellite photos, compasses and a route book which provides rough guidance to the racers. Orientation will be assured by a map (based on satellite photos), a compass and a route book with extensive recommendations. For safety they will carry GPS devices and a satellite phone to communicate in case of emergency.

PATAGONIA EXPEDITION RACE® is not only one of the physically and mentally most challenging, but also one of the geographically most beautiful outdoor events on the planet. It is being staged by Nómadas Outdoor Services, located in Punta Arenas. The founder of the race is geologist Stjepan Pavicic. He and his organization are committed to environmental awareness and conservation. Racers will be following “leave no trace”-principles (www.lnt.org) and the race organizers have partners in the “Wildlife Conservation Society” (www.wcs.org) and the Olympic Committee of Chile.

PATAGONIA EXPEDITION RACE® is held every year in February in Patagonia, summertime in the Southern Hemisphere. The route is different every year. In 2007 a distance of 1112 Kilometers was covered, which made it the longest expedition race to date.

For more information see: www.patagoniaexpeditionrace.com.