Wenger Patagonian Expedition Race 2010
Back to Patagonia
Andy Wilson - Team Helly Hansen Prunesco / 30.01.2010
I have mixed feelings about going back to Patagonia. Perhaps a strange thing to admit about a trip to one of the world's most beautiful places, and an event which really does place the emphasis on “adventure�. Real adventure is actually quite rare in races these days.
Everything should point to it being an easy decision; returning to an international race as defending champions is hardly a regular opportunity, and the race is an unparalleled chance to explore some of the world's most spectacular wilderness.
So why the doubts? I have enjoyed many adventures, both racing and otherwise, in some remote and inhospitable places, bivvying alone at -40C in the Alaskan wilderness springs to mind, and overcoming adversity and hardship is part of what makes the challenge satisfying. However, last year in Patagonia took suffering to a whole new level for me, and certain times during the race still haunt me.
So, what made it so hard? The weather was the worst the race had ever seen, much colder and wetter than usual. We can hope that this year will be back to the norm. The wind is just incessant but that's just the way it is, there's a reason those latitudes are called the “Roaring 40s�.
The terrain, especially on foot, is as tough as you'll find anywhere - at one stage we were fighting through forest at the eye-watering pace of 400m an hour. When you escape the forest then there's the dreaded turba to contend with, vast tracts of pink moss which suck your feet into the ground. And when there's no forest or turba there'll be the small bushes which clutch at and shred your ankles. It is remote on a scale that is difficult to comprehend, no paths or tracks of any kind and tens, or more likely hundreds, of miles to the nearest civilisation. Last year the difficulty ramped up during the race and the final trek was the toughest part, taking us about 60hrs (about half the total race time). 120km with no checkpoints and only a suggested optimum route. Satellite photos, complete with clouds and shadow don't aid navigation much either.
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