Land Rover G4 Challenge
Altitude Sickness Strikes
16.05.2006
Most of Bolivia is above 2500 metres and the region of the country near Potosi on the Chilean/Argentinean border where the Andes scream skywards to over 5000 metres. Too high for man to survive without oxygen.
In the last few days the Land Rover G4 Challenge has been perched on the roof of the world at heights in excess of 4000 metres. It is the ultimate test of man and machine.
The vehicles have been running on around 20% less power in the mountains but it is the humans who have been feeling the effects of the altitude the worst. On Monday morning, the Challenge medical team had to attend to half a dozen people on the convoy – all suffering altitude sickness.
“Across the board, all sorts have been affected,� said doctor Dominik Doerrs. “Many have been people who arrived straight into this height from sea level. But we have had two competitors have to pull out of today’s competition because of altitude sickness. Those are the fittest guys you can imagine.
“Basically what happens to the body is that you do not get enough oxygen and then overcompensate by hyperventilating. Your kidneys then work hard to rid the body of the excess carbon dioxide you are then producing and you get very dehydrated. But why it does not affect everyone, no one knows.�
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