Atacama Crossing (Chile) 2014

The Challenging Atacamenos Trail

News Release / 08.10.2014

The Spanish double Olympian, Jose Manuel (Chema) Martinez, has managed to keep his strong lead in the third stage of the Atacama Crossing—despite the difficulty of the day’s course and high temperatures. He finished the 40.6 kilometer route today at 12:32:35.

There was a slight reshuffle behind him at the front, with Austrian competitor Herbert Lehner pulling ahead to finish the course in second place at 13:16:05. Jonty Cowan of the United Kingdom took third spot at 13:28:08

In the women’s division, Emily Woodland and Catherine Simpson came over the finish line hand-in-hand, finishing the day’s demanding racing together at 14:21:38.

Ireland's Ruthann Sheahan finished just half an hour later at 14:51:19 while Mexico’s Isis Breiter was the third-placed woman over the line today.

It has been a challenging day’s racing for many. Competitors awoke this morning after a warm evening that became much colder in the dawn light. Competitors were huddled around the fire in the morning as they waited for the 7:30am briefing. During this briefing, it was advised that if anybody wasn’t feeling confident, they shouldn’t run as this third stage would be hard.

Dubbed The Atacamenos Trail, it was a demanding 40.6 kilometer route. A total of 143 set out from the 8am starting line and along an exposed road. From here they ventured into cracked, off-road dirt and crusty mud that was filled with thick, low underbrush. The area had once been a lake after the ice age and it proved to be tough to run on, as feet would break the crust and sink in with every step.

As British lawyer Jonty Cowan, pointed out: “I actually looked at the camp cars going by and thought how stupid I am to be running here when there is this nice paved road right next to me.”

But then came the oasis, which provided a brief and much needed respite for eyes that were tired of looking at the bright sand—with lush vegetation to inspire the senses. “The oasis was nice,” said Felix Allen of the United Kingdom. “Lots of greenery, it felt like being in a jungle for a brief while.”

But as racers soon come to realize, this lush area was located at the very bottom of a canyon, meaning that there was a steep and challenging climb back up again.

From the top, competitors made their way across sand dunes, with the last section made harder by intermittent views of the camp while cresting each successive dune along the cliffs.

The course ended with an extremely steep, 150-meter uphill section, with the finish line right at the top. Loud cheers were heard throughout the camp as each person scrambled up the incline and crossed under the banner.

The last finisher of the day was Frank Pearce of the United States who finished at 19:19:35.

There were 140 finishers of the 143 competitors who started this morning. One of these withdrawals was Heather Bond of the United States who is here to raise money for charity with her brother Ian. “Regardless whether I’m running or not, it will be me supporting my brother all the way,” she said.

By the time all the competitors arrived at the Volcan Licancabur campsite, the Cybertent was offering music for the first time—allowing everyone to relax and enjoy the time writing to their family and friends back home.

The difficulty of today’s stage was clear from the campsite filled with people hobbling and shuffling around. The temperatures were also high, reaching around 40 degrees Celsius at Checkpoint 3.

Yet despite this, there were fewer withdrawals than yesterday—revealing how people are starting to acclimatize and get into the flow of this race.

By the time the sun left the sky, people were moving into their tents early in order to get a strong night’s sleep. Tomorrow’s Stage 4 is called The Infamous Salt Flats, and as the title suggests, includes sections through the Salar de Atacama. It is a 44.2 kilometer course and will start at 8am.

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