Patagonia Expedition Race
Race starts tomorrow!
Jacqueline Windh / 20.06.2006
Ann Meidinger – winning racer from PER’s last summer edition, and an organizer of this winter race – told me last night how amazing it is that the Patagonian wind has calmed so much these last two months. Well, not so today!I set out from Puerto Natales for a little jog today, to stretch my legs after two long days of travel. Gusts of wind were shaking the hostel, so I loaded my pack with all sorts of extra clothing: my winter jacket, Goretax pants, and spare buffs, not knowing what the weather might do while I was out there. Setting out from my hostal towards the coast-road, as I left the protection of the buildings a gust smacked me from my right side, almost knocking me off my feet. I headed along the shore of Ultima Esperanza Sound around noon, running into the midday sun which glowed feebly through the haze, hanging just inches above the northern horizon. Welcome to winter in Patagonia!
I joined the teams for their safety meeting this morning. In all, there are eight teams racing – one mixed Uruguay-Chile, one Argentina-Chile, and six from Chile. All teams are pairs.
The most experienced team here is EL AIRE LIBRE/URUGUAY, Rubén Mandure from Uruguay and Verónica Bravo from Chile. Rubén is a world-class adventurer racer, veteran of many races including EcoMotion Pro and Camdex (as well as the inaugural edition of Patagonia Expedition Race in 2004, in which his team placed third), but the high cost of travelling for South Americans keeps him out of the main North American and European circuit. “In Uruguay it is pretty cold too. I thought the climate here would be tougher, but it doesn’t seem too bad, from what I see. It might be a little wet, but it seems pretty good. And we have really good equipment, which helps a lot.� He and Véronica have lots of experience racing together, so they will be a team to look out for.
At the other end of the spectrum is team QUETRO, two seventeen-year-olds from Punta Arenas, BenjamÃn Cáceres and JoaquÃn Vásquez. In spite of their young age, these two have a lot of experience in this terrain. BenjamÃn’s parents own the Hostal San Isidro, which was the finishing point for PER 2006, and he and his mates have been training for this type of race ever since. BenjamÃn and JoaquÃn actually inquired about entering this race several months ago, but were told that the minimum age was eighteen. However, when they placed third in a sea-kayak race here last month and their prize was a free entry to PER, the organizers relented and allowed the pair to sign up. BenjamÃn told me that he and JoaquÃn have raced a lot together in local one-day races (biking+trekking) and they feel good, “just anxious for it all to startâ€?. Whether or not they place well this week, this race will undoubtedly be a great experience for them, and I expect that they will be a force to look out for over the coming years (or decades...)
Race Director Stjepan Pavicic spoke about current weather conditions. “Specifically, looking at the snow, what we expect is that in the first stage of the race we won’t have snow at the elevations that we will be racing... unfortunately. But we will have very low temperatures, well below freezing, everything frozen. Once we move to the southern part of the race [Tierra del Fuego, Days 4-6] there will be more snow. The bulk of the kayaking sections will take place in this first part of the race, around Torres del Paine.� While Stjepan still won’t reveal what the entire race will involve, he hinted that tomorrow’s first day will involve trekking and mountain biking.
I have to pack up now – we are leaving in an hour for the start at Cerro Guido, a lovely hostal in the hills just outside of Torres Del Paine National Park’s eastern boundary. Stjepan promises me that we will be staying somewhere VERY comfortable tomorrow night (Wednesday 21st) with an internet connection, so please check back then for an update of Day 1 of the first winter edition of Patagonia Expedition Race.
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