As I mentioned a few days back, the Wenger Patagonian Expedition Race is now underway, with 16 teams hitting the course on Tierra del Fuego earlier today. Over the next eight days, the 60 elite adventure athletes taking part in the event will cover more than 600km, while facing the legendary Patagonia weather in the Darwin Mountains and across the turbulent waters of the Beagle Channel.
As usual, the format for this race is non-stop competition from start to finish. This isn't a stage race with clearly defined beginnings and endings each day, and the coed teams of four from all over the planet will be pushed to their limits. The standard adventure racing disciplines come into play, including trekking, mountain biking, and sea kayaking. Of course, navigation will play a major role as well, and there is a ropes course for them to tackle as well.
Returning champs Helly Hansen-Prunesco are the team that everyone is gunning for, as the Brits came out of no where to win the race last year. But the field is full of experienced racers, and with the unpredictability of the terrain and weather in the region, there are a number of teams that could claim victory, or at the very least, stand on the podium. And if it's anything like last year, it'll come down to the final day before a winner is decided.
At the moment, I don't see any way to track the team progress while they're out on the course. Perhaps we'll get something implemented in the next day or two, but barring that, we'll have to rely on news updates from the race staff to see where everyone is at. Hopefully it'll be a good, safe race for all involved, as they'll be competing in one of the most stunning landscapes on Earth.
No comments:
Post a Comment