26 teams registered for the highest adventure race in the world

24.10.2007

Huairasinchi is an adventure race which was launched in 2003, as an initiative of a group of young people who were trying to get to know their home country of Ecuador in a non-traditional way.

Huairasinchi means “Strength of the Wind” in the native Ecuadorian language, Quechua. It represents much more than a race - it is the way you face life, the way you overcome your own physical and mental limits.

Huairasinchi is a multidisciplinary adventure race that each year crosses the most wild and beautiful places of Ecuador. Teams from different places of the world travel across huge natural expanses of a country that is characterized for having dramatic variations in altitude and landscape, and an overwhelming biological and cultural diversity. All this makes competing in Huairasinchi like competing all over the world. In just a few hours competitors can be faced with drastic changes that go from the extremely hot coast and its humid forests to the paramos (high lands) and the freezing snow-capped mountains. Racers competing in Huairasinchi, the highest adventure race of the world, spend many hours over 4000 mts (13123 feet) while crossing the Andes mountain chain. The total altitude gain represents a huge challenge that only the strongest adventure racers could reach.

The race is organized by a company called Proyecto Aventura. In 2005, four young entrepreneurs, Santiago López, Rodolfo Peralta, Ana María Sevilla y Francisco Navarro, founded “Proyecto Aventura”. Proyecto Aventura was created with the main idea of promoting a healthy life style, based on the practice of non traditional sports and the discovery of Ecuador’s beautiful, and non known landscapes. Making of Ecuador a world referent in the good management of natural resources. To achieve this goals, Proyecto Aventura, organizes several sports events through the country, trying to always work with the communities, creating social conscience and development.