Patagonian Expedition Race
The Irresistible Pull of Patagonia
Rob Howard / 08.02.2016
Ahead of the Patagonian Expedition Race I talked to Nick Gracie, captain of the Godzone Adventure Team. Gracie is returning to the race for the 4th time and his team (under different names) have won the race 5 times in a row, so he knows a thing or two about what lies ahead.
“I very rarely go back to a race,” he said. “There are so many different places to race a second visit doesn’t appeal … except in Patagonia. I just love it there, it’s the best place to race! It’s so dramatic and wild. There are no tracks, nothing man made, and almost no detail on the maps. It’s proper wilderness and there is some epic paddling.”
This time around he is racing with his long-time team mate Warren Bates, the Race Director of Godzone Adventure, fellow UK racer Chris Hope and the very experienced U.S. competitor Jari Hiatt. Bates and Hope are new to the race, while Hiatt has experienced the race before, but not racing with Gracie. (He’s raced with completely different teams on each of his 4 visits.)
When I asked him what was different about this race he replied, “We sleep quite a lot more! Progress is so slow in that terrain, and especially at night, and we’ve figured out we may as well sleep where we are as we won’t get far in the dark. The trick is to try and mountain bike at night as the navigation on that is very simple.
“I guess using dry suits is a bit different and something of a faff, and we have to take ice climbing gear as well. We take a lot more food too as we could be out for 8 or 9 days and the stages take much longer than you think. That’s the other difference of course, in most races we are racing for only 3 or 4 days, maybe longer in a World Champs, but even longer in Patagonia.” When his team won the last race in 2013 the winning time as 9 days, 6hours, 55 minutes!
Asked about the competition for the coming race he highlighted S. African team Merrell Adventure Addicts as the main challenge. “They are such a strong team and good paddlers, but I guess it may depend how they deal with the climate, which is so different to what they are used to.
“We raced against East Wind and Yogaslackers in the last race, and they are strong and have shown they are capable of finishing. Yogaslackers certainly go for it on their route choice and take chances. If one of those choices pays off they could gain many hours. You are so isolated in this race and have no idea where anyone else is, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to start a stage with a big lead, then find you’ve been overtaken by the next transition. You just never know.”
Finally I asked what advice he’d share with other teams heading to the race, a surprising number of them novice AR teams. “First thing would be to wear Paramo,” he said. “It’s the best clothing for Patagonia without a doubt.”
“Also be conservative, without risking missing cut-offs, and don’t give up too quickly. I think teams in the past have pulled out after a day or two, but they have plenty of time and a full 10 days to complete the race. Half the challenge is getting there with your team and kit, and when you get there you need to make the most of it!”
The Godzone Adventure team will be carrying a YB tracker during the race and you can find out more about the team on their website at http://www.teamgodzone.com
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