Exhausted race leaders AdidasTERREX-Prunesco arrive on the beach at the end of the first trekking section halfway through the third day of the 2011 Wenger Patagonian Expedition Race. (Photo Will Gray)
Team strategy could be the defining factor in the 2011 Wenger Patagonian Expedition Race with US team GearJunkie.com hot on the heels of race leaders adidasTERREX/Prunesco at PC8 after a long day trekking through difficult terrain.
After a two-hour rest stop at PC8 this afternoon, British team adidasTERREX/Prunesco took to the water at Fiordo de Las Montanas to begin the 58 kilometre paddle in the second kayak stage of the race. With calm waters, but rainy and misty conditions, the team is expected to paddle until 10pm, when they will be forced go ashore to rest, due to safety precautions. But the rest should be a welcome relief for the team, whose race strategy so far has been to sleep for one and a half hours between 3am and 5am for the past two nights.
Meanwhile, GearJunkie.com’s strategy to shorten the trekking stages has paid off. The team arrived at PC8 at 19.45pm, covering the 25 kilometres from PC6 in around 13 hours.
In one section, the team climbed a small hill cutting 6 kilometres from the trek, while in another area, they used their sleeping mats to float downstream for 2kms, slashing 45 minutes from their time.
Not allowed to enter the water with night approaching, GearJunkie.com is taking a break overnight at PC8 and is expected to begin the kayak leg at daybreak tomorrow, well rested and re-energised.
The race clock will keep ticking throughout the night, and if both teams set off tomorrow at 6.00am with conditions similar to today, GearJunkie.com will be approximately three hours behind adidasTERREX/Prunesco, predicted Race Director Stjepan Pavicic.
Meanwhile, teams Selva (Brazil) and Four Continents (Aus, Czech Republic, US) have been forced from the race, failing to reach PC6 before the cut off time.
Roadrunners Adventure (Denmark), Perdido en el Turbal (US, UK), Vauclise Adventure Evasions (France), Ad Natura – Karibu (Croatia), East Winds (Japan), Dancing Pandas (Canada, US, New Zealand) and Todo Aventura (Chile, Argentina) passed through PC6 earlier today and are believed to be trekking to PC7.
They are expected to face very tough conditions and are unlikely to trek through the night.
Despite the tough conditions, racers are taking the time to admire the awe-inspiring landscapes surrounding them, describing this year’s course through the wilderness of Patagonian as “some of the most beautiful places” they have ever seen.
“At PC3 there were some stunning views – some of the most amazing I have seen here. We ran really hard after setting of at 8pm from PC2 and went through the night. At one point, we couldn’t say exactly where we were, but we came round a corner and there were awesome icebergs in a lake,” Bruce Duncan, from adidasTERREX/Prunseco(UK) said from PC8.
“We switched off all our lights and just stared at them in the moonlight. And you could hear them calving all over the place. It was amazing.”
Fi Spotswood adidasTERREX/Prunesco (UK), who has joined the Wenger Patagonian Expedition Race for the first time, said: “Fortunately, I was well prepared for this. I had heard lots of stories, but even when someone tells you it’s going to take eight hours to do three kilometres you can’t get your head around it. “It’s not trekking. We were just fighting the bushes all the way! My tights are all ripped to pieces, and the thorns got through to my legs, so my skin is sore. The first part was hard, but when we saw the icebergs at PC3 and camped there and slept under the starts, it was amazing.”
Race organizers Nomadas Outdoor Services thought adidasTERREX/Prunesco were well ahead, but it seems the race is back on!
Check out live quotes from the racers at PC8 on our website…
