Adventure at the End of the World
News Release / 19.01.2009
There is now just one month to go before 60 of the world’s toughest athletes line up to face each other and Mother Nature, in the official ‘adventure at the end of the world’, the 2009 Wenger Patagonian Expedition Race.Between 10th – 21st February 2009, teams from USA, Canada, Germany, Croatia, Israel, Spain, France, Brazil, Argentina and Chile will traverse some of the most remote lands on Earth, between the Southern Continental Ice Field and the end of the American continent at the Cross of the Seas.
Their 600km odyssey will include mountain biking, trekking, rope work, kayaking and orienteering and the winners are expected to cross the finish line after approximately seven days.
The Wenger Patagonian Expedition Race is organized by Nomadas Outdoor Services and is supported by the Chilean Olympic Committee. It is the only adventure race in the world recognized by a national Olympic Committee.
The race is run annually, both to provide a unique expedition adventure for participants and raise awareness of the need to protect the very environment it crosses; the remote wilderness of Southern Patagonia. All funds raised beyond the cost of organizing the event are directed to environmental protection projects in the region.
Stjepan Pavicic, Race Director, said, “Since 2002, we have focused on creating an event that not only presents a physical and mental challenge, but also a message: we must preserve this remote and pristine region of Chilean Patagonia. Today, with our title sponsor, Wenger, we are brining this message to the world.â€
Background to the Event
Race Director and Geologist, Stjepan Pavicic, first had the idea of organizing a race through Chilean Patagonia in 1984. In 2002, he began planning the first edition, which took place in February 2004. In December 2008, Wenger, maker of the genuine Swiss Army knife and precision outdoor equipment, became the race’s first title sponsor.
Today’s Wenger Patagonian Expedition Race is an action packed adventure race located in the southern-most region of the world. Each year, 60 athletes in mixed teams of four compete in crossing the most rugged, geographic and climatically diversified terrain ever known to expedition racing.
Each edition means a different route through a geographically unique and spectacular area between southern latitudes 49º and 56º. This terrain is full of worldwide wonders such as the Southern Continental Ice Field, the Torres del Paine National Park, the Strait of Magellan, Tierra del Fuego, the Darwin Range, the Beagle Channel and Cape Horn.
The Wenger Patagonian Expedition Race is an annual event, run each year in February. It is supported by corporate sponsorship, the Southern Patagonia Region’s Board of Tourism, and the Chilean Government.
Teams and Competitors
A maximum of 15 mixed (at least one man and one woman) teams of four are allowed to enter each year. Race organisers, Nomadas Outdoor Services, believe this number maximizes the positive competitive spirit of the race while minimizing its ecological impact.
